Kill Yourself
by ShizukaNe98
Summary: They weren't ordinary. They were stalkers. "How'd you find out Kasamatsu knew how to play the guitar?" "Sources." Of course, their lives won't be just all about embarrassing the Generation of Miracles. It could grow into something else. "Because stalking is fun." EVENTS ARE ALL BEFORE THE WINTER CUP. Story will end once Winter Cup starts.
1. Chapter 1 Strange Fans

**I DO NOT OWN KNB.**

**Lia and Lilith belongs to my friend. Yelena, too. **

* * *

"KISE RYOUTA IS SOOOOO HOT!" 

Everyone in the restaurant stared at the petite young girl, shocked. The young girl had long waist-length platinum white hair which had pretty doll-like curls at the ends and she was small, standing only about 150cm tall. She was flailing her arms like crazy while standing in front of her table, almost toppling over the drinks. "… H-hey! You're too loud, Lia!" Her companion, another young girl with a seemingly normal appearance, having a _normal_ caramel color on her hair, blushed out of embarrassment. The young girl's hairstyle was unique. The longer strands were tied into a braid while the shorter ones were left hanging. 

The one called Lia decided to ignore her friend's plea. She was literally screaming random things about models and basketball that she didn't care about who would hear her. "Yelena, you're too serious! If you wanna fangirl, do it in a way that it's obvious! Be proud!" She blinked her heterochromatic eyes – the inner irises were gold while the outer ones were a perfect shade of midnight blue, in contrast to Yelena's eyes. Yelena had pure amber eyes – it looked like sunshine. They were like night and day, and it made their aura quite noticeable to those around them. "Yeah, but what if Kise, like, you know, appears here? That's not too impossible!" Yelena reasoned out. 

This time both of them laughed. "What would you do if he were to appear?" Lia asked, finally toning down her small voice. She was smirking creepily at Yelena that the latter felt her skin crawl. "Nothing." The brunette answered. Lia started giggling in a _very_ disturbing way which only made Yelena look at her as if she was some crazy psychopath. "You're so cute when you're denying, Yelena. I know that you would love to hug that Kaijo ace badly when you see him." Lia commented. That comment immediately made Yelena's face heat up. "W-what? NO! Besides, I only liked his face. He looked a lot like my favorite character in this certain show…" She tried reasoning with her friend, although she knew that Lia was not the type of girl to be swayed by reason. _Never_ the type of girl who would get swayed by reason. 

"Ah, so maybe that explains why you seem to be fonder of that Phantom Shadow of the Seirin Team, right? Kuroko, was it? I heard you're in his home room." The white-haired girl continued to tease the brunette, despite the fact that the brunette desperately wanted to run out the restaurant now. "H-ha? Wha- No!" 

Lia laughed loudly, catching the attention of the people once again. "Lia, you have to stop laughing or giggling or screaming at the most random times because it's seriously creepy!" Yelena reacted once again. Lia finally stopped after about 5 minutes of laughing for no specific reason at all. She was about to say something very awkward or very strange again when someone stopped beside their table. 

Both Lia and Yelena froze on the spot. Their eyes were wide and their hands were shivering. Their mouths hung agape, much to their "visitor's" delight. "Uhh… I kinda heard you girls screaming my name…" 

Kise Ryouta. 

* * *

Touou High.

It was one, good school. The basketball team was especially one of the best. Two girls were sitting on the bench, watching the players do their favorite plays. "It's been a while since you came to visit, Senpai!" A pink-haired young girl enthusiastically squealed in delight. Beside her was a blonde which had almost the same hairstyle as Momoi, although senior's hair was blonde. "I like watching these guys play." The senior said. Her eyes were fixed to the court where the players were practicing.

Momoi smiled. "Anyways, I assume you're here to ask about some data again, right?" She said. The blonde shuddered. "Goodness, you read me so well. I, Lilith Xillian Xelestine, am here to ask you for data about this freshman called Kise Ryouta." She admitted. Momoi tilted her head, but ended up smiling again anyway. "I see. You're one of his fans. Well, Ki-chan _is_ the teenage idol. He's a model and the Kaijo's ace, after all!" Momoi quickly opened her folder, rummaging through the files considering the Generation of Miracles.

"I'm not _his_ fan. I don't have a thing for models or basketball players. It's just… my sister is a freaking stalker and she won't stop begging me for your help. That nasty, spoiled little—" Lilith started ranting. Momoi laughed in response. "You mean Lia? As far as I know, she knows too much now. Maybe because you keep on giving her the information I tell you about. Of course, it's top secret so only we girls have to know about it, okay?" The Touou manager winked. Lilith nodded in response, finally giving out a smile. "I think it's fun. Stalking, I mean." She said.

Momoi suddenly stopped rummaging through her folder. A light bulb flashed in her head and she found herself giggling like a hyena. Lilith sweat-dropped. "You sound like Lia." The senior scooted away a little, leaving a gap between them on the bench. "It's just… I think it'll be a good bonding experience. Why don't we try stalking Ki-chan? It's just for fun!" 

* * *

"NO! Lia, you are NOT going to make me come with you on your stalking mission!"

Yelena had a baseball bat on her hand, ready to swing it anytime now. They were in the Seirin gym. "Come on! It'll be fun! Besides, try inviting Kagami! Aren't you two neighbors? Also, try inviting your beloved Kuroko. Momoi would be glad to have him around!" Lia was careful not to get hit by the bat as she followed Yelena around the gym.

The poor brunette was desperately backing away. "I'm not going to invite anyone! Not even Riko! Or Izuki! Or Taiga! Or T-T-Tetsuya! Go away, Lia!"


	2. Chapter 2 Stalker

Of course, they went, anyway. 

Despite Yelena's desperate attempts to escape and Lilith's reasoning, Momoi and Lia were two people who just loved doing fun things. "Researching", as they call it. "Okay, it's acceptable that we're here for no reason just to stalk a model, but… why in the world did you guys have to tie Yelena?" Lilith asked, her eyes clearly focused on Yelena who had her arms tied to her body with a tight rope. "LET ME GOOOO! LIA, YOU ARE SO CRUEL! TOO CRUEL! UNTIE THESE ROPES RIGHT NOW; I SWEAR I'M GOING TO CRY!" The poor brunette was screaming her lungs out. 

Lilith wanted to let her go, but she was afraid that her sister might go berserk over "ruining her plans". Momoi was looking through a pair of binoculars. "Ah! I see Ki-chan! He's going down the stairs with Kasamatsu and the others! I bet they're going to the gym." She exclaimed. Lia started giggling. "I don't know why, but this is really fun." She said. Momoi and Lia high-fived.

"… I don't understand, why are we stalking Kise Ryouta? It's not like you guys really are his fans. Because as far as I know, Lia has her eyes set out in beating that Akashi Seijuro or whatever and Yelena here has a thing for—" Lilith's phrase was cut off when Yelena started screaming gibberish. The blonde looked at Yelena curiously, raising an eyebrow. "Momoi's here! Don't say his name!" Yelena whispered. Lilith covered her mouth in realization. "Sorry." 

The four girls were silent for a while as they hid behind the trees and bushes. "… I couldn't even stop myself from shaking when Kise approached us back at the restaurant. Yelena ran away so I had to chase her until we reached the Seirin gym. Geez, Yelena, don't just run away like a scared puppy!" Lia recalled. Yelena bit her lip. "That's because you were so darn noisy! We didn't notice that he was there with his team mates!" 

Momoi and Lilith both turned around, amused at the two Seirin girls' conversation. "Yelena dashed out of the restaurant when Ki-chan approached you?" Momoi asked. "That's odd. How did that guy and his team mates get back to school so fast if they were in the restaurant? And what in the world were they doing in that restaurant?" Lilith suddenly started thinking things through with reason once again. "Who knows? Teleportation or ninja skills, maybe." Yelena huffed, still trying to get the ropes off her arms. "They went there to celebrate their coach's, Genta Takeuchi's birthday. Then they went back to school." Lia smirked, as if what she said was normal. 

Yelena, Lilith, and Momoi gawked at her in shock. "H-how did you know that?" Yelena asked. "… Shit, my sister's stalker level is too high…" Lilith face-palmed, unable to comprehend what her sister had just said. "You'll make a great informant! Why don't you try applying as the Seirin team's manager?" Momoi suggested, her eyes sparkling at the thought that there was someone like her.

Suddenly, Momoi went back to trying to find Kise with the binoculars. "… I completely forgot why we're doing this again." Lilith reminded them. Yelena nodded in agreement. "Because he's a model and famous people are fun to follow around." Lia answered. Yelena then shook her head in disagreement. "What? I mean, why not stalk that Akashi Seijuro? He seems more interesting." Lilith was now reading Momoi's database, scanning through Akashi's profile. Yelena nodded her head in agreement. "I don't wanna know anything about Akashi! If I want to beat him in everything, I have to beat him fair and square!" Lia defended, her heart racing with excitement. Yelena shook her head in disagreement. 

"Rena, stop shaking your head. Unless you want a broken neck." Lilith took notice of Yelena's frequent head movements. "… That's odd… I can't find Ki-chan." Momoi suddenly said, making their hearts skip a beat. "Ack! We have to find him! Our mission would fail if we don't!" Lia suddenly panicked. She quickly grabbed Yelena's arm, forgetting that the brunette was tied up. "L-Lia! Stop! I-it hurts!" Yelena complained. She was getting dragged and even though she was standing, she was unable to control her feet. 

"… Momocchi?"

To their horror, he appeared right behind them.


	3. Chapter 3 Additional Stalker

They all stood in shock. 

"We were just, umm…" Lilith talked first but she couldn't think of any word to say. Kise actually looked good in person and it left Lilith speechless. Lia's left eye was twitching, unable to believe that such a giant was a high school student. "Dear stars; does he have a growth hormone problem or something?" She mumbled to herself. "… Wait 'til you see Mukkun." Momoi whispered, referring to Murasakibara of Yosen High. 

Kise was staring at them, trying to read the situation. The one he first noticed was Yelena. "… Umm, did you, like… kidnap her or something? Are you going to kill her and hide her body here or… something?" He tried asking, unable to put his questions into the right words. "No, Ki-chan! Geez, you disappoint me! Do you actually think we're going to do that?" Momoi pouted, secretly putting in her binoculars in her bag. "… We were hanging out here… stalking y—I mean, observing… the school. Yes, the school." Lilith cleared her throat. This was definitely an awkward situation. 

Lia accidentally dropped Yelena's arm. The brunette lost her balance and tripped over a large tree root. "GAAAK!" Yelena yelped. They all turned to her, now feeling guilty that she has been dragged into such an awkward mess even though all she wanted was to get out of trouble. "… I don't understand why they tied you up, but… let me help you." Kise sighed. He untied the ropes, finally freeing Yelena. "Can you stand?" 

Yelena gulped. There was a man. A beautiful man. Right in front of her. Touching her arm. Talking to her. "… Yes?" She managed to say. Kise chuckled lightly, showing off his perfect pearl-white teeth. "Nah, seems like you twisted your foot. Let me bring you to the clinic." 

Everyone stared in shock when Kise lifted Yelena into his arms bridal style. Yelena started freaking out. "H-h-huh… G-g- GAAAAAAAAA!" She suddenly screamed. If there was one girl who was afraid of men, it was Yelena. 

"Oh my shooting stars, this is getting so interesting…" Lia tried hard to prevent her laughter. "… Poor girl. Got involved. I hope she doesn't get too traumatized." Lilith said calmly, as if it wasn't her who texted Lia about the 'stalking mission'. Momoi was laughing nervously in the background. "Ki-chan thinks all the girls liked being touched like that… by him." She admitted. "IF HE WAS SUCH A FLIRT, WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO EARLIER?" Lilith finally snapped, yelling for the first time today. "THAT'S IT. TOMORROW, WE'LL GO TO RAKUZAN HIGH AND STALK AKASHI SEIJURO!" She declared, much to Lia's dismay. 

Kise's eyes widened at the young girl who was thrashing and screaming while in his arms. "H-hey, calm down. I'm just going to bring you to the clinic…" He tried saying but Yelena was too traumatized and too loud to listen to him. Lilith nudged Lia. "I think you should call _her_." She whispered to her younger sister. "_Her_?" Momoi asked, curious as to who they're talking about. "I already did. In fact, I called her before I even tied Yelena up. She yelled at me through the phone, saying that she doesn't want to come. Knowing her, she'll come." Lia started smirking again. She inhaled deeply, meaning to start a countdown. 

"5," Lilith checked her watch. "4," Yelena was still struggling. "3," Kise had no idea what was happening. "2," Momoi was tilting her head in confusion. "1." 

"… LET GO OF HER, YOU JACKASS."

Lia smirked. "She's here."


	4. Chapter 4 The Evil-Eyed Monster

Silence.

Everyone turned to the new arrival, a bit surprised. It was girl with short hair with an odd color – it seemed like her hair was made of the northern lights. Her eyes were icy blue and she was glaring daggers at Kise. "… Let her go, you dense person. Can't you see she doesn't like to be touched? I'm so disappointed in you! I thought you knew how to treat a girl!" She pointed furiously at Kise, who looked at her with wide eyes. "Perfect timing." Lia smiled cheekily, proud of her own actions. "Who's she?" Momoi whispered.

"Her name is Galanthus Vanille Seriya. Yelena's childhood friend. One of Lia's stalker friends. I don't know how she found us, but I'm assuming that she's just that great of a stalker." Lilith answered, nodding her head in approval.

"S-She tripped and twisted her foot, so I—" Kise found it too hard to talk since he was bewildered at the girl who talked to him as if he wasn't Kise Ryouta. It was as if he was some creepy old pedophile harassing a young girl. "Put her down! She didn't ask for your help! Just because you're Kise Ryouta, doesn't mean you can go around touching young girls without their permission! Plus, didn't you actually think that maybe she's an elementary student? Just look at her height!" The girl called Galanthus continued scolding him. "You bastard, Gale… I'm smaller than Yelena, you know…" Lia clenched her fists.

Yelena stopped struggling as soon as Galanthus said that. "You didn't have to go that far! Besides you're as small as I am!" Out of nowhere, Yelena jumped out of Kise's arms, surprising Kise. The Kaijo ace had no idea what was going on anymore. "Correction. I'm taller. At least I look more mature." Gale retorted, sticking her tongue out to piss her friends even more. "Besides, why are you even stalking this man?" She pointed at Kise again. Kise looked at her with his mouth hung agape. "They were stalking me?" He asked again.

"No! No, we are not! Ki-chan! This is, umm, this is a misunderstanding!" Momoi quickly retorted waving her hands to catch their attention. "LIA, THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" Lilith started going berserk. "YOU WERE THE ONE WHO INVITED ME!" Lia talked back. Gale face-palmed. "Tsk. No, they were _not_ stalking you… OF COURSE THEY WERE STALKING YOU! Or are you too busy flirting with elementary students that you didn't notice?" She told Kise. The blonde man stared at her in disbelief, wondering where such a girl came from. "I knew that she wasn't an elementary student! She was wearing the Seirin uniform!" He finally retorted, unable to stand such rude behavior.

Gale gritted her teeth. "Sorry, I didn't know you weren't that much of an idiot! You couldn't even tell that they were stalking you!" She snapped. "Don't ignore me when I'm talking, Gale!" Yelena butted in, as she really hated being ignored. Lia and Lilith were both yelling gibberish at each other. Momoi was just staring at the mess, a bit guilty for inviting them.

"I don't make those kinds of assumptions!" Kise yelled back. "I thought you were _soooo_ observant and _soooo_ perceptive that you could copy other people just by watching them? How can you NOT notice just by looking at them?" Gale growled.

"… Kise! What are you doing?"

Everyone turned to look at the new arrivals. The Kaijo starters were there, along with their coach. "… AHHH! I can't take it! So many cute girls!" Moriyama clutched his chest. "WHY ARE YOU HERE WITH THEM?" Hayakawa asked loudly. Kasamatsu's eyes were alternately twitching. He was never the type to interact well with girls. And he was also wondering why their ace was here, behind the bushes, with four girls with unique hair and eye colors... except Yelena. Yelena looked normal. Genta sighed. "We were wondering where you were when we heard your voice along with four other voices coming from here… what were you planning to do with these gir—" The coach was cut off when he saw the rope on the ground.

The rest of the team followed their coach's gaze. They all looked at the rope in shock. "Kise… you sadistic pervert…" Moriyama said, stifling his laughter. "W-WHAT'S THAT ROPE FOR?" Hayakawa was flailing his finger, pointing at the rope as if it was some kind of alienated thing. "… YOU M-MORON! WHAT WERE YOU PLANNING TO DO?" Kasamatsu kicked Kise on the back. "W-Wait! I-It's nothing like that!" The poor ace looked like his face got drained out of all its blood.

Lia covered her mouth. "… Um… I think I should go. Dai-chan might be wondering where I am…" Momoi made up an excuse as she walked away. "I'm going home." Lilith started dragging Lia's arm. Yelena stood up, realizing that her foot was okay, after all. She tugged at Gale's shirt. "Let's go." Gale nodded.

Before they left, Gale looked back at the scene.

Kise's team mates were still staring at him with suspicion as he tried to explain helplessly. "… Hey! Make sure you watch that pervert while he interacts with women! He has a tendency to target elementary students… next time; it won't be a rope anymore." She smirked; her evil icy blue eyes watched Kise's horrified face.


	5. Chapter 5 Strange Meeting

"Hey, Gale… about yesterday…"

It was lunch time. Yelena and Gale were once again, isolated from the rest. It's not that everyone hates them. It's just because Gale had an anxiety against crowds of people and would like to avoid having such a big circle of friends as much as possible. They were in different classes, but they always eat lunch together. Lia, on the other hand, is always too busy doing her homework or projects during lunch time.

Gale tilted her head. "What about it?" She asked. Yelena chuckled nervously, trying to find the right words as to not start another childish argument with Gale. "Err… you went too far… you just embarrassed a famous person, you know." She reminded. Gale merely looked at her with an annoyingly innocent look on her face. "He's just a Kaijo student. Besides, he's really annoying. He thinks all girls will bow down to him or something. The way he carried you was really disturbing." Gale shuddered at the thought of Yelena being carried bridal style. It was definitely out of character.

Yelena's golden eyes blinked. She could have sworn she saw Gale bite her lip. "You're brave. I mean, if his fans find out, you'll be dead meat." She warned her friend. She knew that Gale wouldn't get scared. Gale didn't really care about her surroundings at all. "… By the way, aren't we going to stalk Akashi today?" Yelena asked, recalling that Lilith wanted to "embarrass" Akashi next, if that was even possible.

Gale shrugged her shoulders. "You go. I'm going straight home today."

* * *

"… Why did you have to drag me along?"

Gale complained for the fifth time. "Be quiet, Gale. Akashi-kun is the most dangerous to stalk so you have to be stealthy." Momoi told her for the fourth time. They were, again, hiding behind the bushes within the gardens of Rakuzan High. "You know, Momoi, I don't get why you tagged along. I mean, stalking Akashi is not necessary for you." Lilith whispered. Momoi giggled girlishly, annoying Gale for a bit. "But it seemed kind of fun! Besides, we won't be here for long. Akashi-kun is dangerous to investigate."

Yelena was sitting just beside a tree, waiting for her companions to react. "Ah, that's him, right?" Lia pointed to a red-haired high school student walking out of the building. Yelena crawled toward them. "The rumors are true! He's really cute! Look at that beautiful ruby red hair!" She squealed. "THOSE EYES! THOSE BEAUTIFUL HETEROCHROMATIC EYES!" Gale, too, was wonderstruck. Lilith sighed. "Basically, heterochromia is an abnormality in the genes and is definitely not a good sickness to have." She once again, reasoned out. Lia was staring at him. Her mouth was hung agape. Her midnight irises were sparkling. "… I got intimidated when I saw his database. I wanted to beat him in everything so bad." She remarked.

Akashi suddenly stopped walking, confusing the five girls. They all stared at him and braced themselves. "W-W-Wait! H-he's looking this way!" Lilith ducked lower. Momoi's face became pale. "… That is so amazing. He's so great that he can sense us!" Yelena clasped her hands and continued admiring him, not noticing the state of panic her friends were in. "I-Idiot! Let's get out of here!" Gale started crawling away from the scene. Yelena quickly followed her. Momoi was panicking and hid behind the tree.

"Who's there?" They all heard Akashi's voice. "Damn it, his voice is too beautiful to ignore!" Gale hesitated in trying to escape. "I feel so complete now…" Yelena blushed right after hearing Akashi's perfect voice. They were all mesmerized, except Momoi. "… Come out. This is an order." He said again, making all their hearts skip another beat. "One more word, I would die due to severe nosebleed." Lilith was trying to crawl away, but she felt too weak. Momoi was fighting hard, trying not to obey Akashi's orders.

They had no idea why. Lia stood up, showing herself. Gale, Yelena, and Lilith stopped crawling away, shocked at the white-haired girl's indecisive action. "My name is Lia Chavier Xelestine. I came from France. I am 150 centimeters tall. My eyes are central heterochromatic. My inner irises are gold and my outer ones are midnight blue. Specifically, _midnight_ blue. My hobbies are drawing, playing the piano, singing random songs in the shower, cutting my own hair, and turning hamsters into mermaids."

Everyone had their mouths wide open and their eyes were almost out of their sockets. Akashi stared at her, wondering why she was brave enough to look at him in the eye. He analyzed each part of her body, using his Emperor's Eye to study even her breathing and heartbeat patterns. "… Interesting. 'Turning hamsters into mermaids'… such ability must be of great talent." He commented. Gale tried to stifle her laughter. Lilith had her face buried in her palms. Momoi was in a great state of shock, not being able to absorb what was happening. Yelena was shaking.

Akashi narrowed his eyes, noticing how dark Lia's eyes were. "You must be a girl with many talents. To whom did you cast your pride upon? What made you rise into a student with such a rare brain?" Akashi's lips curved into a small smile. Lia had no idea whether to treat that as a normal smile or as a creepy one. She swallowed her saliva to prevent her throat from becoming too dry. "Your eyes are as endless as the night sky… one could get engulfed just by looking into those majestic eyes… your hair is like that of a carpet of snow… a pure, untainted white…" Akashi continued analyzing her.

"You should go home. It's getting dark… although I would not worry because your gaze is like the midnight sky. Anyone would hesitate attacking you in the middle of the night. We'll meet again… I'm sure of it." The Rakuzan captain smirked before walking away.

Lia watched him walk out of the gate. She felt like her whole soul has been taken away from her in that short meeting. "… It feels as though he would just… disappear…" She mumbled to herself. Lilith finally stood up, dusting of the grass on her uniform. "That was some kind of meeting. You know what? You suit each other. You're both weird." She patted her younger sister's back. Gale and Yelena stood up at the same time and Momoi showed herself. "…Wow, he must have seen great potential just by looking at you…" Momoi said, unable to believe what she had just heard.

Gale sighed. "I'm going home. Good luck in meeting that guy again." She said, before dashing out of the gate.

* * *

Lia was completely silent on their way home. Of course, being her sister, Lilith knew that she was still bothered by what Akashi told her. "You don't have to think about it that much. Momoi said, he's always acting like he's right. Or maybe… he _is_ always absolute." That was the only thing Lilith could tell her. None of them knew who Akashi really was so not one of them was able to talk properly to Lia after that.

Yelena went straight back to Seirin while Gale went home before it got too dark. Momoi went back to Touou to make sure Aomine didn't skip practice. Not one of them was able to strike a lively conversation with Lia. For them, it felt like Lia was in a trance. "… I'll beat him. Even though I know nothing about him, I'll beat him… before he melts away…" That's what she said.

* * *

Gale was, of course, not yet home. She got too distracted by all the airplanes up in the sky that she ended up walking _too_ slow. "8th airplane…" She muttered under her breath. She looked at the way she was going and realized that… she was going the wrong way.

She suddenly stopped walking. A large sweat-drop appeared at the back of her head. Suddenly, a dash of yellow caught her eye. She smirked, deciding not to go home, after all.


	6. Chapter 6 Our First

She caught a glimpse of something yellow at the corner of her eye.

So she stopped in her tracks.

"Well, I'm pretty sure you know me already, but, uhh… we need proper introductions, right?" A certain blonde young man rubbed the back of his head. Despite looking sheepish, his expression immediately changed. His eyes became determined and he had a confident smile plastered on. In response, Gale just stared at him with no emotion on her face. "I am Kise Ryouta." He held out his right hand for a hand shake.

Gale stared at his hand, irritated. "… You do realize that it's rude for a man to offer a handshake to a woman _first_, right?" She snapped. Her usually calm blue eyes turned blizzard cold once again. Kise was taken aback at the girl's behavior. He took back his hand and slowly inserted it in his pocket. "What you said was ruder, though…" He pouted. Gale flinched at his sudden pout but she showed no emotion on her face. Like hell she would. "And what you did to me yesterday was worse." Kise added.

Gale tried to hold back her laughter, remembering the epic moment when the Kaijo team saw the rope near Kise's feet. "It's not my fault the rope was _coincidentally_ under your feet! I have to admit, I enjoyed that moment!" She couldn't hold it in anymore, so she ended up clutching her stomach in laughter. Kise felt his muscles tense and his eye twitch. He had no idea who this girl was nor did he know why she disliked him so much. All he knew was that she was one _very_ annoying woman. In fact, she could be the most annoying woman he had ever encountered.

He inhaled an amount of air, still trying to be a gentleman. She was still a girl, after all. "You only made things worse when you told them about elementary students… you could have just helped me, you know…" He let out a fake laugh. He didn't want to ruin his reputation. Not one girl has ever hated him. _Not one. Not ever._

Gale stopped laughing and glared at him. "Help you? Ha! In your dreams! After I saw you harassing my friend, you expect me to help you? Get a grip of reality! Besides, you're just some bastard who's too worried to destroy his reputation so he ends up dating girls who force him to, anyway!" She hissed.

Kise's eyes widened. What… did she just call him?

"H-huh? 'B-bastard'?" He repeated. "Didn't you hear me? You go on, bragging that 'a girl has never turned you down' before and all that petty playboy tricks!" She said, making matters worse. Kise felt his blood boil. How dare she judge him without even getting to know him? She's only basing everything on rumors. "It's wrong to keep judging people just because they're famous. You think I can tolerate you just because I'd like to keep my reputation? You're just one girl. You're not even 1 percent of the female population who would choose to admire me rather than talk trash about me." He finally snapped, his hands clenched into fists and his eyes turned from a calm gold to dangerous amber.

Gale smirked. "… Now that's more acceptable." She said. She turned around and walked away, which made Kise dumbfounded. "Wait! Is that what you wanted? My anger?" He asked, clearly unsatisfied. Gale turned around. Her eyes weren't icy anymore – they were like the clear blue sky. Her face was innocent. Kise flinched, realizing that she looked really natural and pleasing when she's not irritated. "… Yeah. You know what; I just noticed that you keep holding back your anger whenever you're talking to a girl. I don't like that. If you weren't such an idiot and show me what you really feel, then I wouldn't dislike you this much." She smiled. Kise was even more astounded when he saw her smile.

"But then again… _I'm not even 1 percent of the female population that admires you_. What right do I have to tell you what to do, hmm?" She immediately erased her calm expression and Kise felt a menacing aura surrounding her. He watched her turn her back toward him until she disappeared from his sight.

He was really bewildered at the odd girl's words. He was right. They both knew that. She's not even a speck of dust among the people who admire him as a model, but what is this uneasiness Kise was feeling? He took out his phone and quickly typed in a message.

_Momocchi, can you give me the number of that girl who had green… blue… the one with the aurora-like_ hair?

* * *

Yelena was already panting heavily. She dropped the basketball in her hands and fell to her knees. "Hey, Rena-chan! Are you okay? Let me help you up." Izuki quickly ran to her side and put her arm around his neck. He slowly stood up, careful not to break Yelena's delicate arm. Riko shook her head. "Really now. Pushing yourself to the limit once again." She rubbed her palm against Yelena's shoulder.

Yelena stared at the ball in dismay. "I can't even shoot a single hoop." She mumbled. "So what? You're not even a player or something…" Kagami immediately said. Everyone turned to him in shock. Yelena's eyes suddenly started becoming watery. "You've done it, Kagami!" Hyuga hit the redhead on the head. Kuroko sighed. He went near Yelena and patted her head gently. "We'll just have to work hard to be better, right?" He told her. Yelena's eyes brightened up and her cheeks turned red. "Yeah… you're right." She laughed. Kagami was too embarrassed to say anything to cheer her up so he just kneeled down right in front of her. "I'll carry you on my back. Let's go home."

Riko and Kiyoshi smiled at the sight. "Why don't we make her the team's manager?" Kiyoshi suggested. "Eh? She doesn't know basketball that well." Riko said, her hand cupping her chin. "Doesn't matter. She'll learn through experience. Her friend, Gale, is quite knowledgeable about the sport, but I don't think that girl likes interacting with crowds that much. She might freak out once she's on an official game." The Iron Heart started laughing. Riko nodded. "… We'll see."

* * *

Lilith was secretly peeking into her sister's room, wondering what she was doing this late at night. "Lia's still studying? What's gotten into her?" She sighed. She then decided to leave her younger sister alone, wondering if the white-haired girl's going for an all-nighter.

Meanwhile, Lia was clearly focused on her Science book. She already reviewed at least 50 pages and solved 38 problems, but she still wasn't satisfied. She was a girl with good reputation and known as one of the top students in Seirin and she still isn't satisfied. "Lilith is a genius… in fact; she's one of the top three students in Touou… I can't even beat her, how am I supposed to beat Akashi?" She ran her hands through her bangs, messing it up.

Suddenly, she heard her phone vibrate. Annoyed and feeling disturbed, she checked the message, wondering who would text this late.

_[From: That shebastard Gale]_

_Knowing you, you would still be awake. Don't let that Akashi's words get to you. You're too obsessed in beating him. I mean, you only met him today and you only know him thru that annoying pink-haired girl's database._

* * *

_[From: Lia]_

_At least my hair doesn't look like a parrot's tail._

* * *

_[From: That shebastard Gale]_

_At least my hair's not white._

* * *

_[From: Lia]_

_Parrot._

_[From: That shebastard Gale]_

_Old lady._

* * *

Lia was about to reply when her phone went off. "… Never mind." She tossed the phone on her bed and continued studying her lessons.

* * *

Meanwhile, Gale was lying down on her bed. The room was dark and the only source of light she had was her phone. She stared at her phone, knowing that Lia wouldn't listen to her, anyway. "Masochistic woman…" She gritted her teeth. She was about to throw her phone at the wall, because it never gets broken, when she felt it vibrate. She stared wide at the screen. It was from an unknown number.

_[From: ?]_

_Good night. Expect me to appear in your sweet dreams tonight._

_Kise Ryouta_

She looked at her phone in horror. "Where… did this idiot get my number? And why is he bothering me?" She fought the urge to really throw her phone at the wall.

She stared at the message for about 30 minutes, not knowing what to do. Does she have to reply? Of course not. Why would she? They're not even friends. Even their first meeting was very unpleasant – the complete opposite of Lia and Akashi's meeting. Not to mention, Kuroko and Yelena met just because Yelena accidentally sat on him because she didn't see him. Now that was _one awkward meeting_. Kagami met Yelena because they were neighbors. It was funny, really. In fact Kagami wasn't in good terms with Yelena's uncle. They had a pretty amusing relationship.

She sighed. "… How much idiotic can this be?" She started typing in her phone, her face scrunched up.

_Saving contact number 'Kill Yourself'…_


	7. Chapter 7 Galanthus Vanille Seriya

It was a weekend.

Of course, she wasn't expecting to see Kagami outside her door. "You do know my uncle's going to murder you once he sees you, right?" She scratched her head. She looked pretty odd today – her bangs were tied up. Her hair wasn't in its usual braid and due to the different lengths of each section; it ended up making her look like a rockstar chick. The 'X' hairpin she had at the right side of her head wasn't there, too. Kagami stared at her, not knowing what to say. "I was told to fetch you. We're practicing with Kaijo today." He said.

Yelena's tired eyes turned wide in an instant. "WHAT? KAIJO? NO!" Her face turned red as a tomato as she recalled the embarrassments she had in front of the basketball team because of that stupid Gale. Her hands were slapping her own cheeks. Kagami had a dumb look on his face. "Get a grip of yourself! Be more excited since Kise Ryouta will surely be there! Aren't you girls supposed to be excited about that?" He gripped her shoulders and shook it. Yelena started flailing her arms. "THAT'S EXACTLY THE REASON WHY I'M NOT EXCITED! He may be a beautiful man but he's _too_ comfortable around girls!" She yelled at him, almost bursting his ear drums.

Kagami removed his hands from her shoulders and massaged his temples. "You know, Coach wants you to become the manager of the team. You should at least try to improve what you already know. If you want, you can bring a friend of yours." He suggested. Yelena's heartbeat started becoming normal again. A breath of relief escaped from her mouth. "I'll just fix myself. Geez, my hair looks like a bird's nest…" She mumbled as she went back inside the house.

* * *

"Have any plans, old lady?"

"_Yeah. I'm studying the whole day, parrot."_

"Studying? Give me a break. I dare you to get a perfect grade in Japanese History."

"_Deal._"

Gale had her phone on her ear. She was, as usual, in front of her computer. It's either she's typing random documents and improving her English vocabulary, playing video games, or watching movies. She preferred it this way. As much as possible, she would like to avoid leaving the house.

She hated crowds.

She hated it when people would stare at her while she's walking along the streets. She has paranoia of always being watched. She didn't like attention. And she didn't like it when strangers approach her out of nowhere. She hated pushing herself into a sea of people. It makes her feel so… vulnerable. More than anything, she's scared of the outside world.

Which is why she preferred staying at home.

"_Hey, parrot. I heard our basketball team's bench players are going to train with the Kaijo team's bench players today."_

"That's good. Bench players need some spotlight, too."

"_Hey, I should go now. Bye."_

Gale stared at her phone blankly. She had no idea what was going on in Lia's brain again. She knew that Lia's family had high expectations of her and she knew how hard it is for Lia that she was the youngest among her genius siblings. Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock at the door. She groaned, lazily standing up. She opened the door and was surprised to see Yelena and Kagami grinning at her like two devils. She had a bad feeling.

"Gale-chan, you know… you should do something to fix your hair. Here, I brought you a huge black ribbon!" Yelena held out a large black ribbon in front of Gale's eyes. The latter was confused at the sudden gift. She took the black ribbon hesitatingly and her eyes stared at Kagami. "… You look even worse at home than Rena here." He commented.

Gale's hair color was beautiful, especially when you see her walking outside at night. Her hair was aurora-colored although she decided to keep it short. Her eyes were icy blue and had silver streaks that looked like stars. She was like the embodiment of the sky itself. The only problem was, she wasn't that ladylike to bother trying to comb her hair so the strands went _everywhere_. Plus, she was wearing her red eyeglasses today which only made her look like some geek.

She laughed nervously, having no idea why they were here. "Why are you even here?" She asked, silently praying they wouldn't invite her out. "We came to drag you to Kaijo!" Oh, her prayers weren't heard. Yelena looked quite happy, which was actually the opposite of what she's feeling. "No."

"You are not allowed to decline!" Yelena grabbed Gale's hand. Kagami prevented the door from closing. "That's right! We went all the way here!" He complained. Gale felt the veins on her forehead pop out. "I'm not going out of the house!" She argued. This time, both Kagami and Yelena were staring into her eyes. She gulped, noticing how fierce amber and red could be when combined. She sighed, finally giving in. "Fine. Give me 5 minutes."

* * *

She was gripping Yelena's arm tightly like a lost kid. "… I'M GOING HOME!" She yelled. The whole Seirin team stared at her in shock. "What is there to fear? We're here!" Izuki said. "Izuki, die." Hyuga quickly retorted. Gale suddenly laughed, amused at their behavior. They returned her a smile.

Meanwhile, the Kaijo regulars arrived from the other side of the court. "Oh, Seirin's here." Moriyama pointed out. His eyes immediately found Yelena and Gale and he felt his heart flutter. "AH! THOSE TWO CUTE—" Moriyama was suddenly cut off when Hayakawa started yelling. "I'LL GET THE REBOUNDS! I'LL GET ALL THE REBOUNDS!" He said. "We're not going to play!" Kasamatsu yelled back. Kise went in last and he spotted Kuroko and Kagami from across the court. "Kagamicchi! Kurokocc—" He was kicked the last minute by Kasamatsu.

Kise stood up again and clutched his back in pain. He looked at Seirin again and was beyond surprised when he saw Yelena and Gale. More importantly, there was a large ribbon at the back of Gale's head which made her look like she had cat ears when facing his way. She looked better in casual clothing and Kise wondered what she was doing there. This was something unexpected. "Hey, I'm just going to check something out." Kise told his team members. As he was about to leave, he noticed them looking at him with disgusted looks on their faces. "If you're going to do something perverted, do it outside." Kasamatsu told him. Kise's face turned red. "I-it's not like that!"

Gale had poor vision. In fact, she couldn't even recognize people from afar but she always ends up forgetting her glasses at home. She felt Yelena tug her shirt. "H-hey, that Kise Ryouta's coming this way!" Yelena whispered. They were at the bleachers along with lots and lots of girls. They assumed that these girls must be Kise's fans. Their presence, along with Gale's fear of crowds, only made her mood worse.

"Hey! Kise's coming up the bleachers!"

"OH MY GOOOOOSH, IS HE GOING TO KISS ME?"

"Dream on, he's going to ask me out on a date."

"HE'S SO CHARMING!"

That's it. Gale was _definitely really_ annoyed right now. She felt her blood boil and her spirit rise. "Just what is there to like about that flirt?" She hissed. Yelena shivered at the sight of her friend. Gale was glaring at the court with ice-cold eyes and her fingernails were scratching the spot beside her on the bleachers. "That freaking flirt who tried to touch _you_ so calmly as if he owned _every_ woman in the—" "I think it's not nice to talk about people behind their backs."

Gale quickly looked up to see none other than the one man she hates the most. "…This is going to be scary…" Yelena whispered to herself. Gale felt a huge snake crawl into her stomach when she saw the annoying smile on Kise's face which had the opposite effect on all the girls around her. Kise's eyes came in contact with Yelena's, making the brunette shiver. "Ah, sorry about the other day. I didn't know you were scared of men. I'm really sorry." Kise bowed down politely, surprising both Yelena and Gale. "Ah, it's nothing… really…" Yelena bit her lip.

Gale faced the court once again, ignoring the annoying scene beside her. She saw Kuroko feeding his dog on the side of the court. It made her wonder how Kuroko could tolerate Kise especially when it seemed like the blonde was obsessed with him.

"What is your name?" She heard Kise ask. "Y-Yelena Zolnervolk." She heard Yelena answer. "Zo—what?" Kise asked again. "Ah, just call me 'Rena'." Yelena answered. Gale was pissed at the fact that the bastard was trying to flirt with her friend. First of all, Gale knew that Yelena liked Kuroko.

To her, Yelena and Kise were more like rivals. And of course, she could somehow see Kise as a gay person. No one could blame Gale for that.

"You're really nice and sweet, unlike your friend." Kise suddenly said. Gale felt the urge to throw him off the bleachers. She could also hear his fans on the bleachers, whispering about Yelena's 'flirtatiousness'. This was what she hated the most. It was when people start talking about her friend just because Kise approached her. To Gale, the world was unreasonable. The world was cruel. The world had imperfect justice.

To her, Kise Ryouta was an imperfect justice.

"Um, you know, I'm one of your fans, you see." Yelena admitted which made Kise chuckle in delight. Gale now wanted to seriously walk down the bleachers and go home.

How stupid can Yelena be to boost the bastard's ego? Gale gritted her teeth. Kise is a violation to the balance of the world. He has the looks. He has the charms. He has the height. He has the talent. He has the brains. He has people out there to support him. He's perfect. Just how imperfect can a perfect person be?

Gale couldn't handle it anymore. The more she thought about things like that, the more bitter she gets. She stood up. Her eyes were unfocused and Yelena was staring at her, worried.

"Gale?" The brunette asked. Gale didn't even bother to look at her. "Unlike you, I'm not even _a speck of dust compared to that man's collection of diamonds_. Since you're _his_ fan, you belong to him now, huh? I'm going home." She suddenly said, venom dripping from her every word. She went down the bleachers as quickly as possible.

She was greeted by Kuroko and she suddenly tripped backward and fell. "D-Don't scare me!" She complained. Kuroko held out his hand and helped her up. "I'm sorry." Gale felt his warm hand against her cold one. For some reason, her anger had disappeared. "… Have you calmed down?" Kuroko asked. Gale looked at him with wide eyes. Was her mood too obvious?

"Ah, y-yes! Thank you…" She nervously answered, stuttering. Kuroko felt a smile tugging at his lips. He patted her head gently. "I saw how angry you were up there when Kise-kun appeared before you." Kuroko commented which only made Gale's blood boil again. "… He's… a nice person. Just give him a chance." Kuroko added before quickly leaving. Gale stared at him, speechless.

She just stood there, not noticing that there was already someone else behind her. "Hey! You walk too fast! I had trouble getting away from those girls… and…" She turned around to see Kise, panting and sweating. Her eyes widened at the sight.

"Anyways… I haven't even got the chance to apologize for what I said to you last night! Sorry…" He grinned at her like a child and she felt her hands shake. "What's your name, by the way?" He continued talking, even while he's still panting. Gale bit her lip, not knowing what to say all of the sudden.

.

.

.

.

"… G-Galanthus…"

"It's the scientific name of the snowdrop, right? It suits you."

She had no idea why she smiled.


	8. Chapter 8 Lia Chavier Xelestine

She felt her brain dissolving bit by bit.

She couldn't focus. Maybe because she studied too much last night or maybe she kept thinking about the Science quiz bee she'll be participating in on Monday. Or maybe because of that dare Gale gave her. "That nasty parrot… underestimating me and all that shit…" Lia cursed. She was close to tearing off the pages of her books. All day, there was nothing in front of her but her books. She sighed heavily, tired and haggard. "My sister is too much of a genius… no wonder dad always compares me to her…" Her hand clutched her pencil tightly.

She thought about the fascinating young man in Rakuzan.

Her heart skipped a beat as her ambidextrous hands alternately held the pencil. She remembered how he told her that they would meet again. She remembered how he commented about her eyes and her hair… the endless sky and a carpet of snow. She shook her head. "… Stupid. He's your rival, Lia. Don't think about him in such a dreamy way." She told herself. Her hands ran through her very long hair, almost to the point of pulling them out. She looked at the piece of paper in front of her and jumped back, forgetting that she was on a chair.

She fell. "GAAAAH!" Her small voice was heard throughout the whole house. She was on the floor in the blink of an eye. She sat upright and clutched her head in pain. "Stupid Lia." She always had that bad habit of talking to herself. She once again stood up, even though she was in total pain.

She found herself staring at the paper. "… I didn't even notice what my hands were doing…" She clutched the pencil tightly. Her left hand picked the paper up carefully. On the paper was a rough sketch of Akashi Seijuro. It wasn't as perfect as he looked in person, but it looked stunning. The shadings were brilliant and his eyes looked beautifully drawn.

Lia was an artist. Although it was her forte, she still chose to make a more practical future by focusing on her studying. She stared at the paper and her hands were shivering. "Why am I better in things that I won't be using for my future?" She sighed. Her eyes darted right back at the books on her table.

It may be because she's blind. She's too blind to see her gifts and is only focusing on one aspect of her life. Akashi was always right. He was right yet again. Lia was an endless sky. Her abilities are endless. Her talents are flawless. But she only focused on one part of her sky – her knowledge. She was almost perfect and she was always trying her best, but the comparisons never stop and the disappointment never fails to kill her slowly.

She was an even more negative person than Yelena. She was about to go back to studying again, when someone knocked at her door. "Lia. I'm going to school to fetch something. By the way, you should go to Rakuzan. I heard they're in-charge of that Science Quiz Bee you were chosen for." Lilith's muffled voice was heard from outside the door. Lia stared at the door. Lilith's footsteps were heard going down the stairs.

"She's always at her school. I don't even know what she's doing there. That big chested freak… wait 'til Aomine gets interested in her." She checked her watch. "Better go to Rakuzan." She tied her hair up in a ponytail and proceeded to get ready.

* * *

It was a huge auditorium.

Lia felt her body develop wings. The Rakuzan auditorium was seriously amazing. Her mouth hung agape and her midnight eyes sparkled. She couldn't even move from her place because she felt that she was too out-of-place. She was only wearing a collared pink shirt and jeans. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she looked casual… a casual girl in a formal-looking place.

"… You're the representative of Seirin, yes?" A beautiful silky voice captured her entire mind completely. She hugged her folder to her chest. She chose not to turn around to face whoever was behind her. "Yes, I am." She answered with a seemingly emotionless voice. "Lia." The silky voice called her name, and her pride went downhill. She fought tooth and nail with her own mind and begged for her body not to turn around.

She recognized that perfect, silky voice. "Face me." She gave up. She slowly turned around, quickly regretting her decision. Red and golden eyes clashed with midnight blue ones. "Interesting. Your gaze really engulfs me into an abyss. It has been the second time, Lia." Akashi kept on saying her name and it sounded so hypnotizing. "I am the student council president. If you need anything or want to ask something about the venue for the competition, don't hesitate to ask me… Lia."

And that was it. Lia was completely enchanted. He was like pixie dust to her. He would show off his beauty and suddenly vanish. He would vanish. He would melt into thousands of butterflies and fly away. She wouldn't let that happen! He was the perfect masterpiece she could have found. She would beat him. She would beat him and she would finally gain her own masterpiece.

"Akashi, right?" She finally spoke up. Akashi nodded. His arms were crossed in front of his chest. He motioned for her to continue going. "… I won't bring you down." She managed to say, preventing herself from bursting like a balloon. She could have sworn she saw Akashi's face twitch but he immediately changed back to a pokerface. It was then that Lia realized that he was even more perfect.

His face was downright beautiful. His eyes complemented that face. His eyes… his wonderfully gorgeous eyes…

She shook her head once more. "I won't bring you down, but… I will defeat you." She challenged his eyes. Akashi looked at her without showing any emotion on his face. In the end, he chuckled lightly. "That is impossible." He only answered. This made Lia's heart burn with determination.

She was a girl with great reputation. She would never back down from a fight. "I'll just have to make myself equal to you." She smirked, which kind of surprised Akashi. The redhead found himself really amused at the young stranger in front of her. This was a heated second meeting for them. "… If you do that, I'll marry you."

Suddenly, Lia felt her whole world came crashing down. She had no say in this. Damn it all, she thought. She wondered if this was an argument or if this was a huge joke. "No." She answered. "I like girls with dignity." Akashi found himself giving her a menacing smile. Lia clenched her teeth. She couldn't even find her own dignity no matter how much she searches the edges of the Earth. What dignity was Akashi talking about? Is he taunting her?

She didn't even say another word. She just quickly walked past him, not noticing a piece of paper falling from her folder. Akashi watched her walk out the door. The Student Council was still fixing up the auditorium, while their President was just staring at the piece of paper on the floor.

"That girl…" He mumbled. It's true that it was the first time a girl has actually said something like that to him. He knew what to say to her. He already expected for this. "She has great potential." He continued. He picked up the piece of paper from the floor and examined it carefully. A smirk was on his face. His golden eye was shining. "Just as her eyes are like the endless night sky, my eye is the one golden star within that sky."

On the paper was none other than a drawing of him.

"Being the only star in the midnight sky, her world revolves around me."


	9. Chapter 9 Yelena Zolnervolk

Behind that sweet demeanor is something nastier than Gale.

Everyone thinks it's always Gale. It's Gale who humiliates people, it's Gale who picks fights with random people and other shit that they thought Gale did. When in fact, it was Yelena.

She watched Kise helplessly try to make his way through the crowd of girls circling around him as he tried to chase Gale who was running down the bleachers. "KISE-KUN! PLEASE STAY HERE!" Yelena could perfectly hear the fangirls' screams. Her hands clutched her shorts tightly. "She's not worth following! She's really ugly! I'm prettier!" For some reason, Yelena was getting more and more pissed.

She was a happy-go-lucky girl who always went with the flow. But there are also times when she chooses to change the flow. She stood up, a sweet smile still on her face and pointed furiously at the girls surrounding Kise. "**BITCHES**! Can't you see he's annoyed?"

There was an awkward silence as everyone on the spot stopped to stare at her. An elementary student? An elementary student cursing _that_ bad? Of course, she'll curse. Yelena can always turn the tides. She's the most normal among the group of stalkers, and that is because she's the most balanced. Her sweet and shy personality is a complete contrast to her rough anger. That fact balances her personality.

They say the nicest one is always the worst when angry.

And Yelena is the perfect example of that.

"Who are you to tell us what Kise feels?" One girl talked back at her. Yelena's eyes were like fire burning through their skin. They were all nervous, wondering what she would say next. It was always Yelena's advantage. She looks too nice and too childish that they didn't expect this sudden outburst. They had no idea what she would say next. "You're asking me who I am. Well, I'm Yelena Zolnervolk. I'm a Russian, so shut your trap, prostitute. You _do_ know what Russians do, right?"

They all got even more scared. Russians. What do Russians do? Of course, everyone was too scared to answer. Kise, on the other hand, got what she's trying to do. He carefully skidded past through the crowd as the girls were frozen – burned – on their places.

As soon as Kise got through, Yelena gave them a smile once again. "Please don't be attention seekers. That'll only make it easier to assassinate you." She said before following Kise down the bleachers.

Of course, since all of that was over, Yelena was back to being the usual, awkward, and shy person. She felt all the girls' eyes against her back and she obviously wanted to melt right there. She was getting dizzy and is really thankful that Gale wasn't there to witness what just happened or that aurora-haired woman might laugh at her again.

She was already outside the gym. She looked back inside and saw the reserve players practicing with the Kaijo reserve players. A huge sweat-drop could be seen on her head as soon as she saw the Kaijo regulars messing with each other on their bench. She turned back to the direction she was walking, until she heard a dog's bark.

She looked down and saw Tetsuya No. 2. "Ah! Hi there!" She kneeled down and gave it a soft massage on the head. "Aw, you're still wearing that uniform! Aren't you a cute little mascot?" She continued playing with the puppy. "He seems to like you." A voice from behind startled Yelena. "GAAAH!"

Of course, it was Kuroko. "S-Stop coming from out of nowhere!" She yelped. Kuroko's face scrunched up for a bit, but he immediately went back to being emotionless. "I SAW THAT! You were going to laugh!" Yelena pointed at him. She stood up with the little husky in her arms and she realized how small she was compared to the smallest member of the Generation of Miracles.

"Does Gale dislike Kise that much?" He suddenly asked her. Yelena flinched and she tilted her head. Kuroko thought that it was really cute, but he wouldn't say that out loud. "Is it that obvious?" She asked back. Kuroko nodded. Of course, they were both in a peaceful kind of silence for a minute there.

Yelena looked down at her feet as soon as Kuroko took Number 2 from her arms. "Do you… like Satsuki?" She suddenly asked, causing Kuroko to show a bit of surprise on his blank face. "I respect her." was his only answer. This caused Yelena to clasp her hands out of nervousness. "I see. Hey, can I call you Ko-chan?" She suddenly brightened up, showing off her childish side. Kuroko smiled at her – to him, she seemed like a warm ray of sunshine which lights up the world and burns the people she dislikes. Much like those girls on the bleachers.

Before they knew it, they were already walking around the school. "Kaijo really is pretty." Yelena commented. "You think so?" Kuroko replied. They were really peaceful together and one could say they were a cute couple. If they were a couple.

Suddenly, Yelena's thoughts went back to Momoi. The Touou manager was beautiful, a good flirt (which made Gale dislike her so much), intelligent, sly, has big boobs, and all the guys just keep coming to her. Compared to her, Yelena felt like dirt. She was a big pessimist. She was always a pessimist. Good thing she can counter that pessimism with her scary way of getting angry.

"I don't necessarily love Momoi-san." Kuroko suddenly said, flipping tables in Yelena's stomach. She wondered if he could read minds. "I respect her feelings, but I can't say I return them." He added. Yelena was still staring at him in wonder. She suddenly laughed which made Kuroko stop walking. "Did I say something funny?" He asked. Yelena gave him a gentle smile, making Kuroko's skin crawl. Her smile was always so pleasant to look at.

"I'm not that bothered about it, Ko-chan! It's just; everyone else likes every part of her. I thought you'd be the same…" She admitted. She kicked a rock that was nearby and it went rolling downhill. Her gaze followed it as it kept on spending its potential energy and turning it into mechanical energy along with the forces of gravity. "If you're thinking of comparing yourself to her, you don't have to feel bad about yourself." Kuroko told her. His hand ruffled her hair gently. "You're pretty, too." He added.

The rock finally reached the flat field down below. "...Ha?" She asked him. "You're pretty, Rena." At the second mention of that, Yelena was beyond flustered. It was very straightforward and it was too sudden. She gritted her teeth. "… Y-YOU JUST WANT A VANILLA MILKSHAKE, RIGHT?" "Eh?"

She was pointing at him with a red face. "F-Fine! I'll get you one if you're that desperate, going as far as to call me pre—GAAAAH! Let's go!" Yelena started walking ahead of him, her face still red. She didn't even look back at him. She smiled secretly and her right hand touched her cheek. "He called me… 'Rena'…"


	10. Chapter 10 Lilith Xillian Xelestine

"So you're correcting me?"

She was last seen bumping against some guy and ended up arguing with him. "W-what? You weren't watching where you were going!" A certain guy with glasses was staring down at a certain girl with pale blonde hair. They were both glaring daggers at each other, not backing down. "Excuse me? You call yourself the captain of the Seirin basketball team and you don't even know how to treat a woman! I mean, if you were Kuroko Tetsuya, he would've apologized immediately and he wouldn't argue with a woman!" Lilith had her hands on her hips.

Hyuuga was taken aback at the girl's behavior. "I'm not even sure if you are a woman! I mean, sure, you have the, umm, assets and all…" His eyes moved from her angelic face – complete opposite of her personality – to her chest. This turned Lilith into a furious beast. Hyuuga was kicked on the knee and punched on the face. His glasses went flying towards the sidewalk. "YOU DISGUSTING PERVERT! And you call yourself the Captain!" The girl stared down at him as he clutched his nose in pain. "You horrible w-woman…" The Seirin captain glared back at her.

It was always like this. They're like the more violent version of Gale and Kise. Lilith is not capable of loving. She knew that. After all those years of getting good grades, passing with excellent rewards, and raising the Xelestine name even though she's a girl, she has come to the conclusion that she will forever remain focused on grasping success. Never in her life has she thought about falling in love. Not even with the captain.

Of course, she admired him. After seeing him shoot nonstop and show off his amazing long-range skills on court, who wouldn't? That was the only thing she couldn't do. She's good at everything except sports. That was the only thing she admired about him. The rest is plain stupid in her eyes. "You know, you oughta be more afraid of me than Aida Riko. See what I can do to you now?" Lilith kneeled down and raised Hyuuga's head to face her.

The poor captain ended up backing away. "What? Scared of my beauty, darling?" Lilith narrowed her eyes and smirked. "I didn't even get to see your face when you raised my head! THE SIGHT THAT GREETED ME WAS YOUR—YOUR—B-boo—" Hyuuga's face turned red. Lilith's eye twitched and she had her fist ready. "You sick, perverted—" "SO NOW _I'M_ THE PERVERT? J-Just because you're a woman, you—"

And there they go again.

He was the only guy Lilith could actually interact with, too.

And that was a shame because Lilith _cannot_ love him – the only man she could ever interact with.

* * *

"Ah, Hyuuga! Where have you been, _capteen_ (captain)?" Izuki quickly greeted him as soon as he entered the Kaijo gym. The trainees were now on a practice match. It was Kaijo vs Seirin, of course. "Go, Furihata!" Koganei was cheering them on. Hyuuga was still dizzy from what happened. "Where does it look like I went? I WENT TO BUY TAKOYAKI OUTSIDE BUT RAN INTO THAT WOMAN AGAIN!" He yelled, his voice echoing across the court.

Everyone, including the players and the Kaijo regulars who were on the other side of the court stared at him, speechless. Of course, Hyuuga was hit on the head by Riko. "Ow! I already had enough hitting today!" He complained. "Where are your glasses?" Riko suddenly asked. It was only then that Hyuuga realized that his vision was blurred. He massaged his temples in annoyance. "Xelestine…" He was shaking with anger. "Knew it. He bumped into Lia Xelestine's sister again." Riko sighed. "Ah! That hot blonde with _big_—" "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!"

Izuki was cut off by Riko. Poor Izuki got hit on the face with a basketball. Meanwhile, Kagami arrived. "Has anyone seen Kuroko?" He asked. They all shook their heads. Kagami blinked his eyes in wonder. "The atmosphere today's a bit gloomy…" He remarked. He only ended up being more surprised when he saw Hyuuga's face – it looked like he was in a _very_ bad mood. The redhead sighed. "Well, I, uhh… I'm going to tell Rena to at least try to control the Xelestines… if she can."

* * *

She yawned. "Hyuuga-darling's getting so pissed at me... it's funny." She giggled to herself. She was now in Touou _finally_. If she and Hyuuga didn't bump into each other, she would have arrived earlier. "I don't want to be the top student now… I have to go to school on a weekend just for some stupid files." She kept on complaining.

As she walked along, she passed by the basketball court. She caught a glimpse of the players practicing inside. "… They work hard even though they're already good players…" She took a peek inside. But alas, a ball hit her on the face.

"AHHHH! I'M SORRY!" A sweet and _unmanly_ voice was heard. Lilith clutched her face in pain, but she could perfectly see that it was a man- _boy_ running toward her. She hissed and threw the ball back at him. "MORON! You could have killed me!" She looked like a total demon in front of the boy's eyes. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He bowed down again and again. Lilith stared at him in dismay. A basketball player. A male basketball player. A male basketball player bowing down to her. A _male_ basketball player interacting with her.

"STOP BOWING DOWN!" She punched his head downward. He fell to the ground with a yelp. Lilith was about to walk away when he suddenly stood up again and started bowing down as if nothing happened. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" He continued. Lilith was now gawking at him, surprised to see a _man_ act so weak. "He's like the complete opposite of Hyuuga-darling…" She whispered to herself.

She grabbed his collar and made him face her. "LISTEN, YOU! You're a man, aren't you? I don't like interacting with men, but this is the first time I met someone like you… hmm…" She dragged him closer to her, examining his face. "Your name?" She asked. "S-S-Sakurai…" He was unable to concentrate due to the fact that her chest was like a barrier between them. His face was all red and he could just faint right there. He felt guilty for thinking about her 'big barrier of protection'. He's really guilty. Really, really guilty…

"I'M SORRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYY! ! ! ! !" He suddenly yelled as he broke free from her grip and ran into the gym, crying. Lilith was now even more confused. "He _is_ the complete opposite of Hyuuga-darling…"

She's not capable of loving.

May it be a delinquent like Hyuuga or a shota-type like the guy she just met.


	11. Chapter 11 Good Luck

**It might take a while for me to update. Vacation's over and I have to go back to school D: D:**

**I do not own anyone except for Gale.**

* * *

"Please? Please just come to the mall with me! I promise to treat you, Gale!"

The brunette was desperately trying to get her friend's attention. She waved her hands in front of Gale's eyes. She started making noise. She even tried to take away Gale's notebook from her. "I can't go around having fun. Unlike you, my grades are going downhill. Exams are next week. Why don't you go invite the Seirin basketball team?" It was odd for Gale to skip out the fun. And it was _definitely_ odd for her to study.

It was lunch time and Gale was hanging out in Yelena's classroom. The aurora-haired girl never took notes during class so she went to borrow Yelena's. "Gale! Come on! You've been doing all those group projects by yourself! Why don't you try ordering around your useless classmates for a change? You're too nice, you idiot!" Yelena scolded her. This was one of the few times when Yelena was more superior than Gale. "Even if I do, I don't trust their work. They all look for the easiest way to do things and they end up doing completely useless projects." She explained.

Yelena started wondering if Gale had someone she wanted to beat – much like Lia. Lia doesn't visit them during break time just because the top student's busy doing her own homework and projects and class duties in her own classroom. "Wait… today's Lia's competition, right? She's in Rakuzan, right? Then that means she'll get to see Akashi again! Hey, what do you think will happen?" Gale suddenly bolted up as soon as she remembered Lia. Yelena stared at her, surprised at her sudden change of mood. "I don't know, but the thought of them being together in one place makes me scared." Yelena answered.

Gale sighed. She stared at Yelena's notebook blankly. "I really find it so hard to focus… I feel like I'm only going to kill myself if I force everything into my brain." She finally admitted. Yelena smiled brightly. "Then why not take a break? Yeah, sure. Prelims are this week and finals are next week. But who's to say students can't take breaks?" She reassured Gale. The latter started laughing. "Yeah. What's the point of stressing myself? After these exams, summer vacation is coming up. Just a little more studying…" Gale tried to convince herself that everything will be perfectly fine.

"Besides, I don't study and I still pass!" Yelena raised her hands up proudly. "You still get better grades than me, you dolt." Gale felt pissed at her optimism. Yelena's a pessimist _and_ a happy-go-lucky girl. In other words, she's really balanced. Her negatives balance her positives. "That's because you were chosen as a student teacher for music class and you lost focus on the other subjects. Plus, you're a band member!" Yelena told her. "You're a band member, too! Stop pointing out my activities, dummy! Are you my stalker or something?" Gale retorted.

They were now starting another one of their childish arguments. It was pretty normal so Yelena's classmates already got used to hearing two arguing voices echoing in the classroom. "Let's just… stop complaining. Lia has it worst." Yelena finally tried to compose herself. Gale laughed. "… We don't even have the right to complain because Lia _does_ have it worst. And she doesn't complain."

* * *

Lia was wearing a dress – it was a miracle – and her hair was tied up – another miracle – and she was nervously fidgeting on her seat in the Rakuzan auditorium. The competition is going to start in fifteen minutes and she didn't know whether she should feel scared or not. "Dad will scold me if I mess this up… damn it, Lilith! Why are you too genius for me to be a legacy of?" She started tapping her pencil on the desk in front of her.

Her last name was 'Xelestine', which made her seat the one nearest to the door. She gulped, thinking of the many possibilities that would happen if she really failed here. "You won't fail here." Someone's voice said from behind her. Her whole body shook at the sound of that silky voice. She turned her head and saw _him_ at the door. "I am never wrong." He added. Lia was never the type to show her emotions on her face. She was really distressed and scared, but she still kept her blank face. "How sure are you?" She asked.

Akashi walked toward her seat, making her heart beat faster. Her fingers were almost close to breaking the pencil. "Do you doubt me?" He suddenly asked. Lia was sure she felt her whole body heat up at his words. Akashi was watching her closely. She shook her head, unable to speak. "You said you'd be my equal. I have faith in you." He told her. To Lia's horror, he took a pair of scissors out of his pocket and to her greater horror; some of her hair was already twirled around his fingers.

He snipped some of the curls at the bottom part of her ponytail, holding the strands with his left hand. "…Don't touch my hair." She suddenly hissed. Akashi's eyes widened, not in surprise, but in trigger to his psychotic personality. "You're not yet worthy to give me orders." He told her. Lia gritted her teeth. He walked away slowly. "Good luck… Lia."

* * *

Gale was wandering around the streets, obviously lost. "… This is why I hate getting out of the house." She hissed at herself. Her aura was so dark that everyone who saw her avoided her. She found herself in front of a food stall selling fried noodles and takoyaki. "… I shouldn't get distracted… But, why didn't I go home sooner?" She suddenly stopped walking.

"Eh? Galanthus?"

A vein popped out on her forehead as soon as she heard the voice. She looked up and came face-to-face with the Kaijo basketball team. On their jerseys. Why were they wearing their jerseys? Outside the school, too. What the hell were they doing, showing off their muscles? Gale had no intention of knowing. "You know her, Kise? Introduce me!" Moriyama nudged Kise, but the blonde only looked at him with a horrified look. "S-She'll kill both you and me…" He whispered.

"EH? That's one of the _rope_ girls Kise was trying to—" "D-DON'T REMIND HER!" Hayakawa got kicked on the back by his team captain. Gale just stood there awkwardly; watching them get rowdy on the streets. She fought the urge to kick the living hell out of the idiots in front of her. "Ah, you guys go back without me! I'll stay for a while." Kise told them, alarming Gale. "Don't do anything stupid and perverted…" Kasamatsu reminded, making both Kise and Gale blush.

As soon as the others left, Kise faced Gale. "Well, if it isn't Miss Snowdrop! Have you finally fallen in love with me to the point of following me here?" He gave her a charming grin. He knew that the line he used _always_ worked on girls. They all end up falling head over heels over him right after he says his charming lines and they all end up becoming his fans.

Except Gale. "YOU THICK-FACED LIZARD!" She suddenly kicked his knee and grabbed his jersey. Just as he was being dragged down by the hand on his jersey, Gale suddenly let go, making Kise lose his balance and fall. "L-Lizard?" He said, shocked at what she had just called him. "JUST BECAUSE YOU WERE SO NICE BACK AT THE KAIJO GYM, DOESN'T MEAN I DON'T HATE YOU ANYMORE, IDIOT!" And she hit him on the face.

Kise was on the ground and he was facing downward, with his nose covered by his hands. Gale kneeled down and she had a sweet, innocent look on her face. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you get a nosebleed after seeing my overwhelming beauty?" She said in a sweet voice and _that_ pissed Kise off. "JUST WHAT BEAUTY ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" He stood up and started yelling back at her.

Suddenly, Kasamatsu was seen running toward them. "Kise! Hey, I brought our bags. The gym was getting cleaned up now so I had to hurry coming here." He said. Unfortunately, he was ignored.

The Kaijo captain felt the tension rising as the model and the young girl glared at each other. He could have sworn he saw electricity run through their gazes. "IDIOT! I wouldn't be surprised if you failed your exams! NOT EVEN DEATH CAN CURE YOUR IDIOCY!" Gale yelled. "SAYS THE GIRL WHO WAS STALKING ME FROM BEHIND THE BUSHES WITH HER FRIENDS!" Kise retorted. Kasamatsu face-palmed. "You know, she's right, Kise." He commented. Both Kise and Gale looked at him with completely different expressions on their faces.

"Exams are coming up so… INSTEAD OF ARGUING WITH HER, AT LEAST GO HOME AND STUDY! NOW HERE'S YOUR BAG!" Kasamatsu threw the bag at Kise's face. "S-Senpai! That's cruel!" The blonde complained. "See? You're supposed to go home and study! Or are you going to look for cute little elementary students to harass?" Gale smiled.

Kise turned his head away from Kasamatsu and looked down at her with a cold glare. "What… what did you say?" He said in an unusual demonic voice which surprised even Kasamatsu. The captain didn't want to scold them since he didn't want to interact with a girl. It seemed like Kise can handle himself well, anyway.

Instead of being scared, Gale's mouth curved like a cat's and her eyes became seductively narrow. The ribbon at the back of her head started twitching like cat ears. "Lookie here~ Gale-chan's an elementary student~" She purred and winked.

In a blink of an eye, Kise was holding Gale in a headlock as the young girl started screaming gibberish and curses. Kasamatsu was staring in shock, since it was the first time Kise actually did something like that. "YOU MORON! LET HER GO!" Kasamatsu reacted. "Sorry, senpai. But I'm taking this girl to the nearest restaurant to study with me. You can go ahead without me!" The blonde said happily as if what he's doing is normal for a famous person.

Kasamatsu stared at them awkwardly as Kise tried to drag Gale. "… Just what is going on between those two?" He whispered to himself. As Gale was being dragged, her voice could be heard screaming **"KILL YOURSELF, KISEEEEEEEEE!**"

* * *

The competition was over.

Everyone went home. Lia, on the other hand, was still on the stage. She won the competition and instead of being happy, it only made her feel depressed. It was because Akashi was right yet again. "Is there any instance he makes a mistake?" She exhaled. She slowly went down the stage, her right hand clutching her medal and her eyes unfocused. Suddenly, as clumsy and accident-prone as she is, she slipped and started falling.

"GAAAH!" She closed her eyes and waited for the pain… but there was none. She opened her left eye first. All she saw was red. When she opened her right eye, there was gold. Red and gold.

Oh, yes. She was caught by Akashi and her face is now just 5 centimeters apart from his. "Watch your step." His breath was tickling her face and she could feel all the heat in her body coming up her face. "Lia." There he was, saying her name again as if he knew that she was slowly dying just by hearing that hypnotizing voice.

"… Congratulations." He whispered. Lia wanted to slowly fall asleep at that point, but she refused to be defeated by his mesmerizing words. His hand around her waist was being slowly withdrawn until he finally let go of her. Their gazes never left each other, until Lia quickly turned around and fled from the auditorium.

* * *

"Say, Shin-chan." A certain black-haired young man was riding a bicycle with a cart attached to it. He looked tired and exhausted, but his companion, a green-haired bespectacled Shutoku student sat comfortably in the cart as if he was the king of the world. "Do you think some people out there are just lucky even without those lucky items or whatever?" Takao randomly asked.

"Don't be ridiculous, Takao." Midorima answered. He fixed his glasses and stared up at the sky. "Lucky items are merely used to boost your luck. It is up to the horoscope whether you will be lucky today or not." He explained. Takao started laughing. "You really are something, Shin-chan." He said as he pedaled away.


	12. Chapter 12 A Day For The Stalkers

Dismissal time was their best friend. This time, Yelena was wondering about why Gale had dark circles around her eyes when the latter went home early yesterday. "I thought you went home early yesterday to finish your projects?" Yelena finally asked. Gale rubbed her eyes, sighing like she was suffering from severe depression. "I stayed up late doing them because I wasn't able to come home early _because_ some bastard dragged me to a random restaurant on my way home last night." She answered in her tired, lazy voice. "H-Huh? You don't mean someone actually tried to kidnap you, right?" Yelena asked again, her imagination going wild.

She imagined Gale being put in a sack and tossed in the sewers, but there was no way she was going to tell Gale about that vision. "He kidnapped me in front of his friend. The nerve…" Gale kept on going. This time, Yelena had the look of dread upon her face. She imagined someone dragging Gale into a car while the other kidnapper just waved at them, saying 'Bon Voyage', but there was no way she was going to tell Gale about that vision. "I mean, he could have just asked me nicely instead of dragging me." Gale's last sentence just made Yelena's imagination worse. Her face turned pale and she was shaking.

She imagined Gale willingly letting herself be caged in a doghouse with a rope inside and—

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU BLUSHING ABOUT?" Her thoughts were disturbed when Gale started yelling at her. "H-Ha? W-Was I blushing?" Yelena laughed nervously. Gale's body was surrounded by a death aura. Her hair suddenly turned sharp and her eyes were like a dragon's eyes. "Yes, you were. And you were staring at me weirdly!" Gale started ranting. "Make your stories more believable and innocent, you know!" Yelena yelled back. Of course, they were walking to the nearest fast food chain and they were yelling at each other on the sidewalk.

* * *

_She was tapping her pencil impatiently, waiting for him to answer. "Umm… melatonin?" Kise said. Gale was even more pissed than usual. "… Melatonin is not responsible for our growth, you idiot…" She shook with anger, her voice sounding deeper. "Well, what's the answer if you're that smart?" Kise's voice became louder, enough for everyone in the restaurant to hear. "Growth hormone, you monkey_! _Everyone knows that." Gale stuck her tongue out at him._

_Just when he was about to retort, some girls spotted him from afar. "IT'S KISE-KUN_!_" They all ran towards their table. Kise started scooting away but the girls were crazy for him. Gale quickly took the opportunity to sneak away. "See you." She winked, pissing Kise off._

* * *

"… So that's what happened…" Yelena sipped her milkshake. They bought it on the way to the fast food chain. "Yeah, so don't go around thinking that I was willing to spend my time trying to help that moron study." Gale shuddered at the thought of having to waste her time on someone she hated.

Just then, a child – one who looked like he was raised with no class at all – came running towards the duo. Gale's hand was on Yelena's shoulder and her grip tightened at the sight of the child. "GIVE THAT TO ME!" The kid tried to reach for Yelena's milkshake. What's worse was that he used his other hand to balance himself by grasping Gale's arm – the one that was on Yelena's shoulder. Gale quickly drew away her hand and stared at the kid in horror while Yelena backed away. "N-No!" The brunette was shocked at the disrespect. Gale watched from the sidelines, unable to do something.

"Please learn how to ask." An emotionless voice surprised both Gale and Yelena. "H-How did he get there?" Gale pointed at Kuroko, who was just standing behind Yelena. Kuroko was eyeing the kid, scaring him a bit. "If you want to grow up as a respectable man, you should start by treating women well." He lectured the kid. "And it is not nice to try and take other's belongings."

The two girls were gawking at him. "How well does he interact with kids?" Yelena asked. "Lia told me, his data depicted that he would like to become a kindergarten teacher if he had a job." Gale explained, making Yelena even more surprised at how well Lia does her stalking. The kid ran away without saying a word and Kuroko walked toward the girls. "I think you scared him." Kuroko scolded them. Gale's eye twitched. "_We_ scared _him_?" Yelena emphasized her words, unable to accept the fact that Kuroko was scolding them over a milkshake. "He touched my arm…" Gale's hands were shaking at the memory.

For some reason, Kuroko followed them to the fast food chain. And for some strange reason, he's alone. And for some stranger reason, he was now sitting at the same table as them. Gale set down the tray, her mind still thinking about the kid who scared them. Kuroko was sipping a vanilla milkshake and he watched Yelena put her container of gravy in front of Gale. "Take it." Yelena said. "Ah, I completely forgot." Gale took Yelena's container of gravy, summing up to her two containers of blissful gravy. Kuroko blinked at the sight, confused. "… You forgot what? To take Rena's gravy?" He asked innocently.

The two girls just stared at him, not blinking. "… I didn't steal her gravy… don't look at me like I'm a thief." Gale gave him a meaningful look. Yelena smiled awkwardly. "I don't like gravy so I always give it to her. It's our routine." Yelena explained. Kuroko tilted his head. "I see." He replied. Gale smirked and narrowed her eyes at him. "Unless _you_ want to take her gravy, then it's fine with me. I _know_ you want it, Ya-chan." She teased. "Shut up, Gale, or I'm going to throw the gravy at your face." Yelena threatened. Kuroko didn't understand anything at all. He stared at his vanilla milkshake. "… Gravy won't do well with milkshake…" He replied. "I didn't tell you dump it in that milkshake!" Gale defended herself.

It was a ridiculous conversation. Really ridiculous. Who would start an argument about gravy?

"Which reminds me… what are you doing here, Ya-chan?" Gale asked Kuroko. The Phantom flinched at the nickname, wondering why she started calling him that when they're not really that close. "I came to buy food." He answered reservedly. Gale looked at him, a bit annoyed. "Of course. I mean, this _is_ a fast food chain." She sarcastically replied. Yelena sweat-dropped. "Umm, Ko-chan's presence can make you feel at peace, you know. Don't complain about him." She tried to reason out. "I wasn't complaining about Ya-chan. I was just asking him." The other girl replied.

Kurokocchi, Tetsu, Tetsu-kun, Ya-chan, Ko-chan… how many more nicknames? Kuroko started counting all of his nicknames in his head.

Finally, they were going home. Kuroko said he was going to the nearest street basketball court. Gale's and Yelena's paths also don't meet. So in the end, they all parted ways.

Gale was walking home; worried that it might get too dark. She was staring at the sky while walking and everyone who was walking on the same sidewalk was staring at her like she was some psycho. Her eyes turned to the road and she was bewildered at what she just saw. She was wearing her eyeglasses so she had a clear view of everything.

There was a cart attached to a bicycle. There was one man driving the bicycle and another man sitting comfortably on a cart. She watched them go by, obviously disturbed at the sight. She recognized the man riding in the cart, knowing him as one of the basketball prodigies that they were stalking through Momoi's data. "… Ah, Shin-chan! That girl is already staring at us! I told you that this was an unfair way of transportation!" The man on the bicycle quickly took notice of Gale.

She also recognized him. She remembered stalking his data before, too. "Kazunari." She said out loud, which surprised him. He suddenly stopped pedaling and stared at her. "You know me?" He asked, pointing to himself. "Kazunari Takao." Gale mentioned his full name, catching even Midorima's attention. She tilted her head, still confused at their situation. Takao is… a slave?

"Did you hear that, Shin-chan? She recognized me first! I guess the Generation of Miracles aren't the only ones who's popular." Takao proudly laughed. Midorima fixed his glasses and looked into Gale's eyes. Gale was silently wishing she didn't say anything. "I know Midorima Shintarou, too, but… the cart just… caught my attention." Her voice trailed off, still wondering how weird the Generation of Miracles really were. "You want a lift? It's getting dark out and it's dangerous to go home alone!" Takao invited, earning him a glare from Midorima. "N-No! No thanks! Ah, you should go home, too. Besides, we go in opposite directions." She bowed down politely before running off.

"Shin-chan, you were awfully quiet back there." Takao continued pedaling. Midorima was now reading a book as if nothing happened. "Don't be foolish. I don't even know who she is."

* * *

Lilith had her hands on her hips as she stood at the middle of the Touou basketball court as if she was a queen. Momoi tried to stop her from causing trouble, but she didn't have the power to order around the top student of Touou High. Aomine was staring at her with obvious interest in his eyes. Lilith quickly took noticed of this. "YOU! Aomine Daiki! I know you're a pervert, but stop staring at me like I just came from Mars!" She pointed, her voice loud enough to echo in the whole gym.

Aomine's eyes widened and he spun the basketball with his finger coolly. "I'm a guy. If you want guys to stop staring at you, at least do something to lessen the impact of your…" He didn't finish his sentence. Lilith felt her whole body heat up. "YOU RIDICULOUSLY DISGUSTING PERVERT!" Lilith yelled. She kicked the basketball off his finger, making her skirt fly up, and the ball bounced to the court. Aomine just looked at her with a bored expression on his face. "If you're going to act all bad-ass, don't use underwear with a cupcake design." He told her and walked away casually.

An ear-piercing scream was heard in all corners of the gym. "Lili-senpai! Calm down!" Momoi ran to her. The Touou manager turned to Aomine. "Don't bully her, you pervert!" she scolded. "Eh? But Aomine was just looking at her. She was the one who suddenly barged in and stood in front of us for who knows what." Imayoshi explained with the usual annoying creepy smile on his face. Lilith was now glaring daggers at all of them. "I CAME HERE FOR SAKURAI! WHERE IS HE?" She demanded, not knowing that the poor boy was hiding behind Wakamatsu and trembling in fear.

Wakamatsu suddenly stepped aside, revealing Sakurai. "Dammit! Who knew Sakurai had a hot girlfriend?" He commented. He messed up Sakurai's hair and pushed him towards Lilith. Aomine still had the bored look on his face, although he was quite amused. "Ah. Lucky." He said. Imayoshi was obviously enjoying the sudden turn of events.

Sakurai was staring at Lilith, trembling with fear. She grinned happily and she put an arm around his neck, only making him flail his arms. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" He started saying. "DON'T APOLOGIZE AND BE A MAN IN FRONT OF ME!" Lilith yelled into his ear. "Ah! I'm sorry!" He said again. Momoi sighed. "… What are they up to now…" She muttered to herself, as she remembered the three other girls.

* * *

Yelena was still walking home alone. She was used to walking home alone although she's paranoid about her surroundings. "… Footsteps…" She whispered. She heard strong footsteps behind her, wishing that it wasn't a killer or anything. She walked faster, trying not to faint out of nervousness. As she walked, she turned her head around slowly and looked back.

She completely regretted it. He was already right behind her. He was _huge_ man. Yelena couldn't even look up to see his face. "Ah, so small~" The man said. After hearing his words, Yelena threw her bag at him and started screaming and running away. Unfortunately, she bumped into something – someone.

"I'm sorry. Are you hurt?" A sweet, calm voice asked her. She was on the ground and she had to look up to see a _beautiful man_ with raven hair which shone beneath the moonlight and pretty ocean-like eyes – eye. His other eye was covered by his hair. She stared at him in complete awe, forgetting about the huge scary man she encountered earlier. He held out his hand to her and she hesitatingly took it.

She was blushing terribly. His hands were so soft and warm, she felt embarrassed about how her hand felt against his. "Atsushi, don't scare her." The prince charming scolded someone. Yelena turned around again and saw the same huge scary man. They were friends? Her mind wandered off to the fairytale, _Beauty and The Beast_. There was no way she was going to tell them that, though.

"Ah, did I scare you? Sorry." The guy, which Yelena only recognized now, was Murasakibara. He was scarier in person that she didn't even recognize him at first. "Please forgive him. Are you hurt? Do you want us to walk you home?" The beautiful prince charming offered. Yelena absentmindedly nodded, not realizing that she had just said 'yes'. Even though she had no idea what they were doing there in the first place.


	13. Chapter 13 I'll Be Waiting

"GALLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEE!"

A loud voice was heard in the corridors. Gale sweat-dropped, pretending she didn't hear it. "I don't know her." She told the students who were just around the corner. Unfortunately for her, Yelena caught up with her. "I SAW MINATO LAST NIGHT!" The brunette was jumping up and down and laughing hysterically. Gale stared at her, backing away a bit, wondering if she had just gone crazy. "M-Minato? The protagonist in the game you used to play?" Gale asked, still scared at her friend's sudden excitement. "YES! MINATO! MINATO ARISATO! THE CHICKBOY WITH ONE EYE!" Yelena was still screaming.

They didn't notice that they were right in front of Lia's classroom. The white-haired girl was watching them from the door. Her arms were crossed in front of her and she looked annoyed. "If you're going to talk about some chickboy Cyclops… DO IT IN FRONT OF YOUR OWN ROOM!" Lia scolded them. Gale and Yelena both looked at her and their eyes suddenly glowed in delight. "CONGRATULATIONS, LIA-SAMA!" They both tackled her to the ground into her classroom. Her classmates stared at the weird trio as if they were alien. They are, after all, the first section. Dignified, too. Lia was the only one who wasn't.

"GAAAAAH! Get away from me! You're creepy!" Lia pushed them both away and she backed away, panting. Gale pouted. "Just because you met the love of your life back in Rakuzan, doesn't mean you're going to push us away now." She said. Lia blushed hard, remembering about the moment she accidentally tripped while walking down the stage. "Yeah! Don't keep that perfect man to yourself, you know!" Yelena pumped her fists up. "That wasn't what I meant!" Gale reacted.

Lia's expression changed all of the sudden. "He's my rival." Her voice sounded silent. Gale and Yelena quickly stopped arguing. They looked at each other, not knowing what to say. "Don't kill yourself. All you do is study; we don't even get to see you anymore." Yelena finally admitted. Gale touched her shoulder softly. She shook her head at Yelena, giving her a meaningful gesture. "This is only for now, Rena."

* * *

She sat across him at the far end of the table. He was watching her drink from her cup of tea, her face so peaceful. "You're not stupid, I know that." She finally spoke up. "In fact, you are never wrong. Isn't that correct, Akashi Seijuro?" She asked. The redhead smirked in amusement. "Lia Chavier Xelestine. The youngest legacy of the Xelestines." He said. Lia smiled sweetly when she heard him say her name. "You do know I'm willing to kill myself just to _save_ you from your insanity, correct? Well, I'm only going to say this once. Let me save you." She tried taunting him, her gaze fixed into his.

Akashi stood up from his seat. Lia watched him walk toward the desk and open one of its drawers. Out of it, he took a pair of sharp scissors. Instead of being scared, Lia got excited. She couldn't feel her usual fear anymore. "How sad. So you won't allow me to give you orders. It's a shame that we both have a powerful sense of superiority." Lia quickly stood up as soon as Akashi ran towards her. He charged the scissors at her, but Lia dodged just in time for the scissors to end up hitting the wooden chair, piercing through it. "My, my… sadistic, are we?"

"Xelestine."

"Don't try to attract me with your silky voice calling me."

"Lia."

"Don't say my name anymore. It's painful."

"Don't dare look at me in the eye."

"And if I disobey?"

"Then, die."

He charged again with the scissors, finally injuring her face. A cut was seen across her cheek, bleeding. Lia stood her ground, her whole body trembling. She didn't feel fear anymore. She was trembling with excitement as she bravely made direct eye contact. Akashi felt the surge of electricity within him, causing him to drop the scissors. They both stood there in silence, with nothing but the ticking of the huge wall clock.

Suddenly, Akashi started laughing. His laugh was so maniacal that one would definitely get frightened. Lia was no exception. Her bravery started to fade as soon as he laughed. "That's what I would expect from a girl who vowed to defeat _me_!" In a flash, Lia was captured. Akashi's hands held her hands against the wall and before Lia knew it; their faces were already inches apart. All her bravery went down the drain as soon as her eyes made close contact with his.

His eyes were wide and psychotic. His mouth was curved in a terrifying smile. Her wrists were starting to hurt because of the force his hands exerted. "S-Stop…" She tried to say in the midst of her struggle. Akashi leaned in closer, much to Lia's horror, until their lips were only an inch apart. "Are you trying to tell me what to do?" He whispered. His precious breath was all over Lia's face and she could've sworn she smelled lavender and mint and it was a bad idea to take in his scent. It was captivating. Too captivating to bear. A part of her wished that he would completely slip her into the deep garden and intoxicate her completely, but another part of her kept whispering that he is her enemy. Her rival. She must defeat him.

"I feel your heart, Lia." Akashi whispered yet again. His Emperor's Eye allowed him to see her heartbeat – her very fast heartbeat. He could see how she was holding her breath and he could see her shiver. He slowly removed his right hand from her wrist and touched her chin. Lia tried her best to stay perfectly still. "If our lips touched, it would be like fire and ice. Don't even dream about it being a sweet first kiss…" He mumbled, his breath awfully smelled like perfect wilting roses. Lia's eyes were close to tears.

She bravely inhaled a great amount of air. "Please stop." She whispered. "I'm not ordering you. I'm asking you to _please_ stop." She tried hard not to let her moving lips touch his or she would have tasted the most dangerous poison in the entire world. Akashi blinked and Lia's tears came streaming down her face. He slowly removed his hands from her wrist and chin and backed away.

Lia fell to the floor, clutching her heart in pain. She was sweating terribly and her tears won't stop. "Don't cry, Lia." Akashi walked toward her again. She flinched at his touch and tried to move away. Before she could even move, Akashi held both her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. It wasn't warm like how she imagined it to be. It was a painful hug which only made her heart feel worse. But she liked it. She liked it so much that she didn't make any effort to break away. She started sobbing really loudly as she rubbed her face against his shoulders. "Shh…" Akashi stroke her head gently as his other hand gently supported her back.

"I'll be waiting, Lia." He whispered into her ear. "I'll be waiting for you to come find me…"


	14. Chapter 14 To The Rescue

"You going home, Seriya-san?" A female student who was also Gale's seatmate asked. Gale nodded with an energetic smile. "Wanna walk home with me? Wait, we should fetch Rena from her room!" She beamed. Her classmate laughed at her surge of energy. Gale was a childish girl with a hyper brain. Of course, those who don't know her well don't see her as that. Strangers and acquaintances all see her as a grumpy girl who does nothing but glare at people.

They walked to Yelena's room and for some reason, Yelena wasn't there. "That's odd. She doesn't usually leave the room since she knows I'll come for her." Gale sighed. Her female classmate just shrugged her shoulders. "Well, umm, can you wait?" Gale clasped her two hands in front of her face, trying to beg. She had a sorry look on her face, too. "It's okay. I'll wait with you." Her classmate agreed.

They waited for what seemed to be almost half an hour. Gale sighed impatiently. She looked inside the room and saw Yelena's bag. She walked inside and grabbed the bag before walking back out. "She'll know that her bag's with me. Don't worry about it." She assured her classmate. They decided to go home without Yelena, silently expecting that the brunette would show up in front of Gale's house and start yelling at her for taking her bag without permission.

They went down the stairs and passed by the Home Economics room. Gale ignored the fact that their Home Eco teacher's voice sounded like she was scolding someone inside. "Wait, Seriya!" Her classmate grabbed her arm, startling her. "Huh?" She asked, confused. "Look inside the Home Economics Room. That's Zoln—Zolne—umm, Yelena, right?" Her classmate's tongue hopelessly twisted while trying to say Yelena's last name, which made Gale face-palm. "Oh, she's not alone. She's with some of her classmates. What are they doing here? Cooking?" Gale wondered. "No, Seriya. It looks like she's crying." Her companion whispered.

Gale froze in her place as she peeked through the door. "Now, if you girls want to have passing grades, try being more responsible." She could hear the teacher's voice and she could see Yelena's fingers rubbing her eyes. But Gale decided to look away before she could see the tears – if there were any. Yelena was trying to smile and nod and be cheerful, though. Gale quickly turned away and started walking again. "Wait, aren't you going to comfort her?" Her classmate asked as she tried to catch up with Gale. "She won't like it if I comfort her. Plus, I didn't see any tears." Gale calmly said.

Her classmate pouted. "But you're her friend!" Her companion continued to nag her. "Yes. And as her friend, I respect her decision to not let me see her crying. So I looked away before I could see any of her tears. _If_ she was crying." Gale explained.

* * *

_[From: Lia]_

_Hey. I'm available on Thursday. Are you and Rena free?_

_[From: That shebastard Gale]_

_I'm always free._

Gale was staring at her phone, her mind thinking about what Lia did in Akashi's house yesterday. Lia was becoming so sorrowful and distant nowadays that Gale had no idea what was happening to her anymore. "I wonder if Akashi did something to creep her out or make her sad or something…" She mumbled to herself. Her companion already went home, too.

As she wandered along the streets on her way home, she decided to stop by somewhere for a while and take her time cooling her head off. Gale had major problem with her grades and she was deemed to fail Japanese and Home Economics. She wondered if Yelena had any problem, considering what she saw earlier. She shook her head. "No. I am in no place to judge her if I didn't even see her crying." She composed herself once more. She decided to go to the nearest restaurant to cool her head off before going home and experiencing stress again.

She arrived in front of the restaurant, remembering how Kise put her in a headlock and dragged her here just to accompany him in his studying. "What am I, his nanny? Can't he do anything to help himself?" She instantly became annoyed the moment he appeared in her mind. "Ah, Seriyacchi!" Speaking of the devil. What the hell is a 'Seriyacchi'?

She looked up and saw the yellow bastard. "… Seriyacchi? It sounds like 'teriyaki', you dolt." She commented on the stupid nickname he gave her, not even saying 'hi'. Kise was still smiling stupidly at her and it was making her angry. "It's rare for you to go all the way her alone! Where's Yelena Zol—Rena?" Kise immediately changed what he was going to say after realizing that the last name was too ridiculous. "Oh? So you call her 'Rena' now? I don't know where she is." Gale lied. Actually, it was true. It was already past dismissal time so she had no idea where Yelena ended up after spending some time in the Home Economics room. She could imagine Yelena cursing and screaming after realizing that her bag wasn't in her classroom anymore.

Kise's face turned serious as soon as he noticed Gale's atmosphere. She wasn't screaming at him or yelling at him or taunting him. She looked like she was really tired and bothered by something. He rubbed the back of his head, wondering deep inside if she would snap at him if he tried being nice to her for once. "Say… do you want to grab a bite? I'll treat you." He offered, wishing that she would agree and not embarrass him further.

To his surprise, she nodded.

They went inside the restaurant and everyone inside stared at the odd "couple". Yellow hair and aurora hair – it felt like sunshine and a snowy night sky mixed together. They went to a table beside the window. Kise watched her silently move around as he sat across the table from her. "… So… are you too wrapped up in pondering about whether you've already fallen in love with me?" He teased her. Gale looked up at him. He was taken aback when he noticed that her battle aura isn't activated and her threatening glare turned into sweet, innocent eyes. She was just staring at him like how he remembered Kuroko staring at people. "In your dreams." She quietly retorted.

This time, Kise had no idea what was going on with her anymore. He called the waiter for an order and quickly turned back to Gale. Her chin rested on her hand and her elbow was on the table. She was staring at particularly nothing outside the window. Suddenly, Kise slammed his hands on the table and stood up, finally catching Gale's attention. His face brightened up when he finally saw how her eyes widened in shock. "Look, Seriyacchi! You're not yourself today and it's really disturbing! At least try to insult me or threaten me or kill me!" He yelled out loud. The other customers inside were gawking at him, shocked at his brutal words.

Gale gritted her teeth. "DON'T CALL ME BY THAT STUPID NICKNAME, YOU AMPHIBIAN! Besides, what's it to you if I suddenly change my aura?" She yelled back. Kise cleared his throat and sat down like nothing just happened. "Spill the beans." He told her, his voice becoming deeper. His serious voice startled Gale, making her heart beat faster. She gulped. "Spill the what?" She asked as if she was an idiot. "Tell me why you're being like that." Kise demanded.

She didn't know whether she should feel pissed or not. She bit her lip, still not trusting him. "Not like you have a choice. I'm the only one you've got now." Kise bluntly stated. Gale sighed in defeat. It was about time they finally looked at each other in the eye without any signs of hatred.

"I don't know what's going on with any of my friends just as much as I don't know what's going on with me." She admitted. Kise nodded and he looked like he was still thinking about what she meant. "Since you're an idiot, I bet you didn't understand." Gale added. In the blink of an eye, Kise flicked his finger at Gale's forehead. "How would I know if you're not telling me your point?" He sarcastically asked. "Ow! THAT HURT, YOU BASTARD!" Gale pinched his nose so hard that it made him bang his hands on the table. He removed her hand from his nose forcefully. "You tomboy!" He countered back, to which Gale replied with "GAY!".

Now that was the last straw. The waiter arrived with the food and Kise took dozens of French fries from the plate and shoved the food into Gale's open mouth. She started flailing her arms for air, trying her best to chew it all. "Had enough?" Kise laughed. "JERK!" She threw the tray of fries at his face.

When they were both finally panting from yelling at each other too much, both of them started eating peacefully. "… Really… What happened?" Kise asked again. "… It's just… I'm failing my grades and I used to tease my friends for having such high passing grades, but now…" Her hands shook when the memory of Yelena in the Home Economics room appeared. Kise watched her intently. "I guess I was selfish. All I thought about was doing things for my own benefit just to raise my pride when I didn't even have the slightest clue that my friends _can_ fail, too." She felt a huge lump in her throat as if she was close to tears.

Kise suddenly smiled, which pissed Gale off. She was about to yell at him again when he pushed in another batch of fries into her mouth; gently this time. "Before you yell at me, let me tell you this. You're not the only one who's human. You're not the only one who can fail. They're human, too, aren't they?" Kise explained. Gale started munching on the fries as she stared at Kise in awe, wondering why he was capable of saying such words. "Life is troublesome for them as it is troublesome for you. I mean, seriously. Why would you think that they _can't_ fail? Are you alien or something?" Kise started laughing and Gale fought the urge to flip the table at his stupid smile.

Instead, she started laughing with him, alarming him. "… You're… smiling…" He looked at her, awed by the sight of her natural smile. It wasn't her evil smirk or sarcastic grin. It was really _Gale_. "Idiot." She mumbled.

* * *

Yelena ended up walking home, not even bothering to go to Gale's house to pick up her bag because she knew that it was none other than her evil friend who took it.

She watched the clouds go by as the sun started to set. She remembered her teacher's words and how terrible her situation was. She was completely absorbed in her thoughts now, unable to walk straight. "Rena." A quiet, blank voice surprised her. She yelped and jumped away from the source, only to see Kuroko standing there. She noticed that his mouth was shaking and he stopped breathing for a while. "I know you're going to laugh. Just laugh! Laugh at my stupidity!" She yelled furiously. Kuroko tilted his head, wondering why she was in such a bad mood.

"You've been walking in a zigzag pattern." He pointed out. "If you're dizzy, I should ask Kagami to walk you home. You're neighbors, after all." He bowed down before walking away. "Wait, Ko-chan!" Yelena called him over, silently regretting over yelling at him even if he had good intentions. Kuroko looked back at her; anticipation painted the color of his eyes. Yelena looked down at the ground shyly and twiddled her fingers. "Um… sorry I yelled, Ko-chan…" Her voice broke. Kuroko noticed her mood just like that. He went back near her and put his hands on her shoulders.

Yelena gasped at the close contact. "You don't seem to be okay." He sternly told her, and Yelena was a bit scared of his tone. "I'll walk you." He offered. Instead of being comforted, Yelena tilted her head and she looked at Kuroko as if he was stupid. "You'll _walk_ me? I'm not a dog, Ko-chan." She reminded him. Kuroko looked away, not making it too obvious that he _was_ embarrassed. "I'll walk you _home_." He emphasized. Still trying to hide his embarrassment, even though Yelena found it too obvious, he took her hand in his absentmindedly and started walking fast.

Yelena stared at their intertwined hands. She noticed that everyone who saw them was saying things about "cute couples" and all that "puppy love" crap. This made Yelena's face heat up, wishing that they would to get to her house quick. To her disappointment, Kuroko's pace started getting slower. "Is there something wrong?" He suddenly asked, not realizing that he had just made her heart jump up and down deep inside. "Nothing." She tried to calm herself. "How are your grades?" Kuroko asked. Yelena's eyes widened and her lips quivered.

Her grip tightened around his hand. It made Kuroko stare at their hands due to the impact. He watched her face change expression, patiently waiting for her answer. "… Let's change the subject! I HAVE THIS CAT I FOUND IN THE BACKYARD AND YEAH!" Yelena suddenly beamed at him and her face looked so lively. Kuroko just stared at her. A sweat-drop fell down her forehead and she laughed nervously. "Don't make it too obvious." Kuroko commented.

Her grip started to loosen around his rough hands. She could tell that he played basketball every day because of the texture of his hand. "Ko-chan… I…" She wanted to say something, but she couldn't. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He cut her off before she could start breaking down. Her eyes gazed at the back of his head, since he was walking ahead of her, even though their hands were still intertwined. His blue hair looked so silvery beneath the sunset. He looked like a guardian angel.

"I'm sorry, Ko-chan." Yelena said. Kuroko stopped walking. Yelena got scared as she was still gazing at his back. "I should be the one who's sorry since I am unable to do anything to comfort you." He looked back at her, his face serious. Her eyes started to water and she was starting to sob. Kuroko put his other hand on her head and he bent down so he could reach her eye-level. "Don't keep it all in. If you don't do well, it's okay to cry." He whispered. This only made Yelena's tears stream down her face. "But people don't always do well. You're just human. You make mistakes, too. Everyone does. So it's okay. You'll be fine. Chances don't disappear. They're just right in front of you, waiting for you to grab it." He told her. Hearing this, Yelena stopped sobbing and looked at him, ignoring how close his face was.

She suddenly smiled in the midst of her tears and nodded. Kuroko's eyes were gentle and caring, and it made her feel safe. "So don't give up. Today has not yet ended and there will always be a tomorrow; a future. Plus, a smile suits Yelena more." He succeeded in comforting her. He removed his hand from her head and took out a handkerchief from his pocket. He wiped her tears away.

"AGH. Enough with drama! Hey, Ko-chan. You go on ahead. I'll just grab some takoyaki over there." She quickly ran off and went towards the takoyaki stand. Kuroko watched her run away before continuing along the road.

* * *

Gale and Kise were now walking for a while outside. They had just finished eating and yelling at each other at the restaurant. Suddenly, Gale stopped. "Hmm? What's wrong?" Kise asked her. "Wait… I think I forgot something back there. You go on ahead! I'll try to catch up with you as fast as I can!" She bowed down before running all the way back to the restaurant. Kise sighed. "She'll get appendicitis at this rate. She just ate." He ended up worrying, even though he knew she wouldn't care even if he was worried.

He continued on walking, when suddenly, he saw Kuroko from afar. "KUROKOCCHI! What brings you here?" He ran to Kuroko and for some stupid reason, his arms were hugged around Kuroko's neck and he was trying to mess up his hair. "Please stop that." Kuroko scolded.

Kise stopped messing his hair. "Kurokocchi, you're so cold and serious!" He put on a puppy face. His hands were still around Kuroko, causing some passersby to stare at him in shock. "Ko-chan! I'm back!" Yelena was running towards them with a plastic bag. She was, however, frozen in her place as soon as she saw the sight. Her finger was shaking, pointing at them. "… Oh… my…" She reacted.

"Hey, yellow-head. I'm back from—" Gale arrived at the same time and she was stunned to see her companion making such an embarrassment. "… What… are you… YOU _ARE_ HOMOSEXUAL! Geez, and you were so angry at me for calling you 'that', when in fact, you're just a pedophiliac, homosexual, genderbended idiot!" She blushed at the embarrassing sight. "I-It's not like that!" Kise quickly talked back. "…Why are you still hugging Ko-chan?" Yelena asked, embarrassing him further.

Kise's face was all red and he hurriedly let go of Kuroko. "W-Wait! You got it all wrong! I was trying to mess up his—" "His dignity as a man?" Gale cut him off. She face-palmed. As she started walking away, she made her voice loud and clear. "I don't know him." She pretended as to not make the passersby stare at her anymore, knowing that she's his companion.


	15. Chapter 15 Your Pillar Of Hope

"I THOUGHT SOMEONE STOLE MY BAG AND THE NEXT THING I KNOW, IT WAS WITH _YOU_ ALL ALONG!"

As she thought, Yelena would yell at her. They were now walking home with two idiots tailing behind them – Kuroko and Kise. Gale looked back at them and sighed. "You should go home. I'm sure the both of you are busier than us, anyway." She told them. Yelena looked back at them, too, wondering how busy they really were. "Why do you say that?" Yelena asked Gale. "They're basketball players. They're supposed to keep their grades in check or else, they won't be able to play in official games." Gale explained. Kuroko nodded in agreement. "That's right." He told them. Kise groaned loudly while stretching his arms. "Don't you girls go home in opposite directions?" He asked.

Gale and Yelena stopped walking and looked at each other. "… Oh, that's right. My way home is that way." Gale pointed back to where they came from. Yelena laughed nervously, fighting the urge to call her friend an idiot. "W-What? We went all the way here for nothing?" Kise started complaining and his hands messed up his own hair. Kuroko stared at him blankly. "… You go home with Gale?" He asked innocently. Yelena just then realized it, too. "You walk home with _this_ guy?" She pointed at Kise, demanding Gale for an answer.

Gale went berserk at their awkward and useless questions. "OF COURSE NOT! Do I look like that kind of girl?" She flailed her arms in defense and her aura turned black. "I was just asking." Kuroko calmly told her. "Eh? Shouldn't you be grateful that _I'm_ walking you home today? Besides, it's getting really dark. And you obviously don't have any sense of direction." Kise explained as if he knew her so well. Yelena smiled deviously. "Well, see you two!" She bade goodbye and quickly pulled Kuroko away. Gale was hissing like a cat now. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, RENA!" She yelled at Yelena's and Kuroko's disappearing silhouettes.

She looked at Kise, who looked like he had sparks flying all around him. "You've got no choice. Besides, isn't it fun to spend time with me?" He winked at her. Gale felt all her hair turning into daggers and she imagine Kise getting ran over by a speeding airplane which crashed from out of nowhere. She stormed off, walking faster than she usually did. Unfortunately for her, Kise was taller and had longer, athletic legs which enabled him to keep up with her pace. "Hey, slow down. You're already panting." He touched her shoulder to calm her down, but this only made her more agitated. "If my uncle sees you walking me home, he'll _kill_ you." She threatened.

Kise didn't get scared. He got curious and more worried. He had no idea why he was worrying over a silly girl who hates him with all her heart. "Uncle? How about your parents?" He asked her.

Gale's eyes turned soft. Her pace slowed down and she exhaled loudly, showing how exhausting her fast-paced walking was. "I don't have a dad." She mumbled. "My mom has her own family now, too. We're still in touch. I'm also close to her husband. It's alright." She told him that with a cold and strong voice, but Kise knew that she was really lonely. "Why don't you live with them?" He asked her. She shook her head.

What surprised Kise was that she actually looked up at him and smiled. He felt light-hearted and it seemed like he just saw the rarest gemstone in the vast universe. "I'll be fine. I can take care of myself, you know… I'm already 15…" She told him, as if trying to make him not worry. He was even more astounded when he found out that she was younger by a year. "My real dad was a womanizer. He had the looks, the charm, the knowledge, the height, the skills, and he even goes to other countries for work! Every woman he courted fell in love with him on the spot." He stopped walking all of the sudden and his head looked down at his feet.

He's been fighting with the wrong girl all this time. He may be wrong, but he finally got a clue on why she hated him. Gale was walking ahead and she looked back at him, tilting her head in confusion. "Uhh… K-Ki—" "Call me Ryouta!"

She flinched at his sudden statement. He was now looking at her and she was doing the same to him. It felt like an eternity as the breeze kissed their faces. The sun had completely set and Gale's hair was already glowing beneath the moonlight like northern lights like what it usually does at night. "… What?" She asked, afraid that she must be hearing things out of her fantasies. "I'll say it again. Call me by my first name!" He shouted again.

Gale felt her heartbeat pounding wildly against her chest. "Why? I mean, we only met for, like, 4 times…" She looked at her fingers, trying to count and recall the times she and Kise ran into each other. It was always by chance. They never even expected to meet in such awkward circumstances – her friends were stalking him. "But, you saw me thousands of times! It doesn't matter how many times we run into each other. You often get lost in the streets of Kaijo! It's just, we didn't know each other back then so we didn't know. But ever since I met you, I always find you in front of the Kaijo gates or even in that restaurant near my school! It gave me the conclusion that you often get lost there at night!" He pointed at her, declaring his conclusion proudly.

Gale's right hand balled into a fist. She ran towards Kise and punched his chest. He didn't even feel any pain, but he pretended that it hurt. "Ow! You're cruel!" He said out loud. Gale drew back her hand. She started shaking it. "… Ow…" she winced at the pain. Kise then realized that her hand was in more pain than his chest. He sighed. "Four times… we met four times. One time was when you and your friends were causing trouble. Geez, I only heard Momoi's voice and that's why I followed the sound of your friends' screams. And you caused the most trouble by trying to pick a fight in the school grounds. If the guard caught you, what would you do?" He explained. Gale was blowing at her hand to ease the pain for a bit. "The second time was when your basketball team's and my team's reserve players were on a practice match. That time, you caused trouble, yet again. Those fans were really aggressive. What if they tried to _kill_ you or something?" He continued saying. He then removed his necktie from the collar of his shirt. Gale looked up at him, having no idea about what he was babbling about.

Kise took Gale's hand, making the young girl flinch at the static running through their hands. "Third, you got lost for some reason. You have no sense of direction! I mean, you're not aware of where you're going. What if you ran into a dark alley and some thugs saw you?" He continued nagging her as if he was her parent. She raised an eyebrow, not getting the point. He then tied his necktie around her bruised hand gently. "And fourth… you were too depressed to even smile. What if… what if there was no one who listened to you back there? You would keep all of that sadness… and it would pain you." He finished tying up the neck tie around her hand.

Gale was waiting for him to let go, but he didn't. Instead, he held her hand into both of his. Her eyes widened and she blushed. She quickly looked down and her shoulders went stiff. "… What are you trying to tell me?" She finally asked, her voice trembling. Kise smiled and he finally let go of her hand. "If the guard saw you picking a fight in our school, I would have saved you and told him that you were just teasing us for fun. If the my fans tried to touch, I'd tell them that I just said something stupid to make you angry and it was all my fault and they would forgive both me and you. If you ran into that dark alley, I would use up all my strength to make sure that no bastard touches you." He told her with a soft, sweet voice. "Not all guys are the same, Gale… but, your father is still your father. You shouldn't hate him. And you shouldn't use your hatred towards him to hate people who are like him, too."

Gale looked back up at him. She had nothing to say – he said all the words for her. "But I didn't. Because you ran into me first before any of that could happen." He finally told her. Gale's eyes brightened up and her whole body started shaking. "… I get it…" She told him. She then started laughing loudly, and it made Kise laugh with her, too. "If I didn't run into you or cross paths with you at that time… then I could've been in a regretful situation, right?" She nodded her head proudly. "Yes! Ah, yes, you finally got it!" Kise happily rejoiced.

She put her hands on her hips, still smiling. "… Are you saying that you're my lucky charm, you dolt? Like hell I'd believe that." She started arguing with him once again. Kise's mood abruptly changed. "EH? I tried my best to be nice to you and you still keep disrespecting me? I'm older than you!" He yelled back. "So? You're still an idiot!" She kicked him on the knee and he fell down in pain. She started walking away. "… I'll be fine, you know…" She told him. He was surprised for a moment there, but he sighed in relief. "Yeah."

She looked at the necktie tied to her hand. Her left hand made its way to her cheek and her fingertips gently moved against the skin. "… Thank you, Ryouta." She whispered to herself. 

* * *

"Hey, Shin-chan."

Takao tried to disturb Midorima, who was silently reviewing his notes for the exams next week. "Do you think maybe you can use another person as a lucky charm?" The raven-haired point guard asked. Midorima sighed at his lack of common sense. "Everything and everyone has their own luck. It all depends on how strong that person's luck is that he can share it with other people." He explained, fixing his glasses.

* * *

"Is it okay to leave them there? I mean, Kise's a guy, too… he may do something really crazy with a rope or something worse… AH! His necktie! HE MAY USE HIS NECKTIE TO DO SOMETHING _INAPPROPRIATE_!" Yelena snapped her fingers and her face turned pale. "Kise-kun isn't the type to do that. In fact, Gale's the first girl he has ever actually fought with…" He explained, but in his mind, he was also wondering what Kise would want to do with her that he even went as far as to walk her home.

Yelena stretched her arms. "Oh, Ko-chan. You may appear like you don't care about him, but he _was_ your team mate, after all…" She commented. "Is that so?" Kuroko asked, confused. "I have to ask you something." He added.

Yelena looked at him, waiting for his question. She was actually really nervous. "… Do you still feel insecure around Momoi-san?"


	16. Chapter 16 My New Boyfriend

They were still staring at each other. Yelena was really unprepared for this. "I'm not insecure, Ko-chan! Satsuki and I are different from each other. She has what I don't, and I have what she doesn't, right?" She tried assuring him that she wasn't bothered anymore, but he refused to look away. She gulped, realizing that he was serious. "… Umm… it's just… she's more of a girl than I am and she's amazing during basketball games and… yeah…" She looked down at her feet.

"You're amazing in your own way." Kuroko said. Yelena looked back up at him. "It's not easy to make a girl stop crying. Yelena is strong. When I tried to cheer you up, you were able to give me your smile." Kuroko gently smiled at her. Her heart skipped a beat and she blushed. She turned around and started walking away. "It's not like my smile can really solve anything…" She bit her lip. She could hear Kuroko's footsteps following her. It took them a while to realize that they were already in front of her house.

She turned around and bowed down. "Thank you for escorting me today, Ko-chan." She said. As soon as she raised her head to look at him, Kuroko was looking at her with his beautiful baby blue eyes. She held her breath for a moment and realized that he really had such a soothing face. "Your smile is like a beaming light of sunshine, Rena… it's not true that it can't solve anything." He suddenly said. Yelena froze on the spot upon hearing his words. "I just noticed that when I'm with you… people start to notice me faster. Your sunshine is just so powerful that the Shadow is more noticeable…" He told her. Yelena's heart was beating so hard against her chest that it was getting impossible to breathe. "Maybe you light up my world, if that's how we see the analogy." Kuroko said, unmindful of his sweet choice of words. He was the one most capable of interacting with girls in the Seirin, but he was incredibly sweet and he had no idea that the girl in front of him was starting to like him even more.

Yelena turned around to face her house's gate. "… Stop that, Ko-chan! You're only trying to make me feel better! I'm okay now!" She said out loud. She quickly went inside the gate and knocked on the door. She slowly looked back and sighed. "He disappeared…"

* * *

_[From: Lia]_

_Momoi, have you seen my sister? She hasn't been home for days._

_[From: The Number One Flirt]_

_Ah. No. I last saw her in the library, though. She was doing some research._

_[From: Lia]_

_I see. Thanks, anyway._

* * *

The blonde genius woke up with a fresh start. She got up the bed lazily and slowly walked out the door like a zombie. She found the bathroom at the far end near the stairs that lead down. She went in the bathroom and her eyes blinked at the sight of her own face in the mirror. "Damn. I look hot." She smirked. She stretched her arms, but her chest got hurt so she didn't stretch too hard. She looked at the mirror again and noticed that her chest… was really small…

She rubbed her eyes and looked down at her chest. It was flat. "W-w-what happened?" She was staring at it, wide-eyed. She gulped and tried poking it. To her relief, it wasn't flat. Her shirt was just oversized. "Oh, thank goodness. I thought my womanhood shrunk… wait… WHO OWNS THIS SHIRT?" Her mind finally woke up after she realized that it was some basketball varsity shirt and… this wasn't her house.

She screamed.

Suddenly, the door of the bathroom burst open, hitting her. She fell down on the cold floor with a loud thud. "Ah! Lilith-senpai! I'm so sorry!" Lilith looked up to see a certain brown-haired young boy bowing down to her. Her mouth hung agape, unable to believe the very sight that greeted her this morning. "You… You could have killed me! And what if I was taking a shower and downright _naked_? And what are you doing here in my—wait, is this your house?" She asked, realizing the mistake she had made. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Umm, this is my house… I'm sorry! I'm sorry for dragging you here while you're asleep! I'm sorry!" Sakurai tried to lend her his hand to pull her up but she slapped it away harshly. "Ah, I'm sorry!" He said again, even though he wasn't even at fault. "You _dragged_ me here? Wait… you… YOU CHANGED MY CLOTHES?" Lilith's arms formed an 'X' against her chest and she suddenly started shaking. "Ah! I'm sorry! M-My mom did it! I didn't see you naked! I'm sorry!"

"BE A MAN AND STOP APOLOGIZING!" Lilith kicked his ankles and caused him to fall… on top of her.

They both stared at each other's eyes in close contact. Lilith had golden brown irises and Sakurai had a darker shade. Sakurai felt really embarrassed and frustrated when he felt her _chest_ against his. "I'M SORRY!" Sakurai suddenly bolted up and backed away. Lilith was now definitely going to _kill_ somebody. She went berserk and suddenly started throwing all shampoo bottles and soap bars at him. "I TOLD YOU TO BE A MAN, NOT A PERVERT!" She yelled and started screaming really loudly.

It took 30 minutes to calm her down.

When she finally gained back her composure, they were already in the dining room. She was hungrily eating all of the food on the table. "Your cooking is really good!" She complimented Sakurai, making him blush. It was the first time he saw her satisfied and happy. "Anyways, you mentioned that I was asleep when you found me. Why is that?" She asked, trying to get information about how safe her body was while she was unconscious. "Huh? Well, you see… we found in you in the library…" Sakurai was still too scared to answer, but he was more scared of her if he didn't answer. "_We_?" Lilith emphasized. "Ah, with my basketball team."

Lilith was about to ask what the basketball team was doing in the library. As far as she knows, they don't even study that hard to end up in the library. Did they eat barnacles or something? She started thinking of many possible reasons why they were in the library. Lilith was, after all, a girl who believes in reason. "Tell me the deets."

* * *

"_Hmm? Isn't that your girlfriend, Sakurai?" Imayoshi pointed at a certain blonde, sleeping on a library table all alone. Sakurai quickly hid behind Wakamatsu at the sight of her. "S-She's not my… I'm sorry!" He was unable to say the word, so he just apologized for nothing. "AGH! Momoi is so cruel! She told us to get the Senshinkan team's data by ourselves using the library computers! Damn it, you didn't do anything to make her angry, did you, Aomine?" Wakamatsu looked back at Aomine, glaring at him. _

_Aomine shrugged his shoulders. "Dunno." He simply replied. "… Bastard!" Wakamatsu yelled at him. "Anyways… we should wake up that woman over there. Someone might do something to her while she's asleep. Wake her up before I do something." Aomine smirked, threatening them. Wakamatsu and Sakurai were staring at him in shock. Wakamatsu hurriedly went toward Lilith and started shaking her. "HEY! WAKE UP! Y-You don't want to be touched by Aomine, do you! Wake up!" He shook her with such great force but the girl was already drooling on the table. "We're in a library. You should be more quiet, Wakamatsu. Besides… it looks like she won't wake up. I guess we should take her home." Imayoshi had that creepy smile on his face. It wasn't perverted. It was his usual creepy smile. "W-We don't know where she lives! Let's just leave her alone!" Sakurai's mind was completely corrupted with thoughts about her trying to kill him or throw him to Mars or eat him alive. "Take her to our own houses, then." Imayoshi's ideas were already getting out of hand. "Guess I should. After all, Satsuki knows her." Aomine volunteered, although everyone else looked at him in suspicion. "… What?" He asked. "No. I don't trust you!" Wakamatsu bluntly said. "She's Sakurai's girlfriend. I think Sakurai should take her to his house." Imayoshi's obvious suggestions were really starting to get crazier by the minute. "EH?" Sakurai reacted. _

"_Can't be helped. Go carry her." Aomine sighed in disappointment. He went past them and walked toward the exit. "HEY! We're still going to look for data!" Wakamatsu tried to call him back. "She'll look for that data, anyway." Aomine answered until he finally went out of the library. "Well, take care of her, Sakurai." Imayoshi's creepy smile was getting creepier the longer he stared at Sakurai._

* * *

"Those… bastards…." Lilith had a terrifying look on her face and her fists were pumping. "I'M SORRY!" Sakurai bowed down again. He had dread all over his face. Lilith stood up and stretched again. "Tsk… well… since I'm already here… Lesson 1 starts today! We're not going to school!" Lilith suggested. Sakurai started freaking out and flailing his hands. "W-Wait! We shouldn't skip, senpai! I have to do my best in my grades or I won't be playing for the Winter C—" "What? Is your studying more important than me, Sakurai-dear?" Lilith looked at him deviously. "I-I'm sorry!"

"Chill. I'll take care of your grades. Besides, school is just too easy, anyway. Let Big Sister Lilith do this!" Lilith gave him a thumbs up and winked. Sakurai was still too scared to answer. "We're going to 'hunt' down people today!" "H-Hunt down? You mean… shoot them with an arrow?"

* * *

They were hiding behind the bushes.

They were hiding behind the bushes and Sakurai didn't know why. He was too scared to ask. Lilith was looking through a pair of binoculars. He didn't know where she found those binoculars in his house. "I SEE HIM!" She started squealing. Sakurai flinched at her enthusiasm. "Saw who?" He asked, his voice trembling. "Look here!" She put the binoculars in front of his eyes and he was astonished at what he saw.

He saw a certain bespectacled black-haired Seirin student was walking toward the Seirin gym. His eyes were already widened and he remembered how that student called him an 'apologetic mushroom' before. "It's Hyuuga…" He said. "Yes! That's right! It's Hyuuga-darling! Isn't he handsome and precious? I want to try breaking my dear bastard so we're here to investigate!" She was squealing and Sakurai didn't know whether she liked the guy or she's just some kind of crazy girl. She put her hands on her cheeks and she was giggling with excitement.

Sakurai crouched down. "I think their coach is his weakness. Momoi-san said that he's scared of their female coach." Sakurai suggested. Lilith glared down at him and he started freaking out again. "I'm sorry!" He said. "STOP APOLOGIZING WHEN YOU'RE WITH ME! Besides, of course I'm aware that he's scared of Aida Riko! Still, I'm sure there's something he's even more afraid of!" Lilith kneeled down and started shaking Sakurai's shoulders violently.

"Starting from now on, you'll be a man! You'll pretend to be my boyfriend and we'll prove to Hyuuga-darling that I can get my hands on a _manly_ guy! I want to see his reaction! This'll be fun!" Lilith was shaking him with even more force. She finally let go of his shoulders and started laughing like a witch. Sakurai was on the ground, his eyes on swirls and his head all dizzy. "M-Me? Manly? I-I'm sorry…" He mumbled while still trying to wait for his dizziness to go away.

He just couldn't accept the fact that there was _this_ kind of woman.


	17. Chapter 17 Scissors

_She was dancing around with an ice cream on hand. "Thank you for the treat, my beloved Lia!" Lilith was shouting, so everyone around was already staring at the pretty blonde girl who had a womanly body dancing around. Lia kept her distance and face-palmed. "… I don't know you." She silently walked away, embarrassed. Lilith stopped dancing like a crazy person and pouted. "Lia, at least show a bit more love to your big sister once in a while!" She started waving her hand at Lia, making her even more embarrassed. "EW! No way!" Lia reacted. Lilith started laughing. She jumped backwards, not noticing that there was a speeding car. Lia's eyes widened. "YOU IDIOT!" She ran toward Lilith, and she knew that she won't make it._

_Before the car could hit Lilith, someone ran and pushed her to the other side of the road. They both hit the ground hard and Lilith was in even more pain when the person saved her by accidentally pushing her on the chest part. It was really, really painful. She pushed the person away and started shouting curses. Lia just stared in shock. "… Hyuuga-senpai?" She said. "Hey, Hyuuga! You alright?" Kiyoshi was seen hurriedly crossing the street along with Izuki and Riko. "Geez, don't just go around scaring girls like that!" Riko hit the person who saved Lilith on the head. "Who knew you were so aggressive, Hyuuga?" Izuki teased him. _

_Lilith stood up and suddenly grabbed Hyuuga by the collar, shocking the others. "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!" She yelled at his face so loud that he thought his ear drums burst. He was staring at the woman in front of him in horror, not expecting such rude behavior. "Um… Miss, I think he tried to save you from that car…" Kiyoshi tried to reason out. Lilith glared at him and at that moment, Kiyoshi realized that there was someone scarier than an angry Riko. _

_Hyuuga couldn't bear it anymore. Her voice was too loud and her behavior is too annoying for him to tolerate. "I SAVED YOUR LIFE! Can you at least be more grateful?" He suddenly pushed her away violently and she fell to the ground again. Lia was just watching from the other side of the street. "She's causing too much trouble… I shouldn't have let her visit me at school…" She sighed. "HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT A WOMAN?" Lilith suddenly stood up and Hyuuga did the same. "Aren't you going to hit him for picking a fight with a girl?" Izuki asked Riko, who was massaging her forehead in shame. "No. I think that girl can handle herself." She replied. "I BET A WOMAN LIKE YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO GET A MANLY BOYFRIEND IN TIME! You act like you're stronger than men even though you're aware that you're a woman!" Hyuuga scolded her. _

_Lilith's eye twitched at his words. She couldn't even speak or think of any reasoning to defend herself. She stomped at Hyuuga's foot, making him yelp, before storming off. "I'LL GET A GUY MANLIER THAN ME! JUST YOU WAIT!"_

_In truth, Lilith was actually surprised because a man stood up to her for the first time._

_In truth, Hyuuga was actually surprised because a woman accused him of trying to kill her when he actually tried to save her._

_Life is full of surprises._

* * *

"That's how they met, you see." Lia sipped her drink calmly. Yelena was just glad that Lia was finally able to spend time with them after days of not hanging out with them. Gale wasn't glad at all. First of all, Gale could read Lia very well. She knew that Lia had problems with either her grades or Akashi and is trying to forget about her problems for a change to spend time with them. "And after that fateful encounter, they just keep bumping into each other everywhere. Their encounters only included their fighting and arguing and stuff." Lia continued telling them about Lilith and Hyuuga's odd "friendship" and they both listened intently. "That's funny. That sounds like me and Ryouta." Gale shuddered at the thought of the blonde. She wished she wouldn't see him today.

Yelena tilted her head. "Oh, no. I think Li-senpai and Hyuuga-senpai are more violent." She pointed out. Lia nodded in agreement. "They fight like a crazy, married couple." The white-haired girl added, suddenly laughing while remembering Lilith and Hyuuga's encounters. Yelena suddenly blushed after recalling the night when Kuroko walked her home. Gale choked on her drink when she remembered what Kise told her the last time they saw each other. In general, they just all remembered the times when they had weird encounters with men they didn't know would build a huge part in their lives.

Of course, Lia also remembered Akashi. Her face turned sullen again and she went back to sipping her drink quietly. "… Just what is your problem, Lia?" Gale finally asked her. Yelena looked at Gale, wondering if she's trying to force Lia into talking. Instead of pretending that nothing's happened, Lia finally looked at Gale in the eyes and spoke. "I don't have the power to make myself equal to him anymore." 

* * *

They all walked in silence. Yelena was too scared to go home alone, since it was already dark so she went back to the school to wait for the Seirin basketball team. Plus, it was about time she learned the basics of basketball if she was going to be the manager of the team. If Lia weren't there, Gale would be walking alone, too. "So… what are your plans?" Gale asked. Lia shrugged her shoulders. "At least give my condolences to my grades." She answered, unmotivated. "Just because you're failing just like me and Rena, doesn't mean you should give up. I mean, you're a top student." Gale reasoned out.

Lia bit her lip, trying to prevent herself from crying. It was a good thing Gale was taller than her or she could have seen her watery eyes. "That's the point, Gale. People expect too much of me because I'm a top student. The pressure is killing me, Gale…" She admitted. Gale couldn't think of anything to say anymore. Gale is a dense girl and it was hard for her to comfort her own friends. She could never think of the right words. "… He wouldn't like it if you failed, right?" She told her. Lia stopped in her tracks, suddenly remembering Akashi.

Why does it seem like he's expecting too much of her?

She dug out her phone from her bag and turned it on. It has been three hours since she even checked her phone. She only uses it for emergencies or for asking Gale about something. Her eyes widened at the sight of her screen. Gale waited for her, confused by her actions. "Um… What's wrong?" She asked. "… He knew…" Lia answered with a soft voice.

_[From: Akashi]_

_I heard about your grades. Don't ask how. I have connections._

_[From: Akashi]_

_Are you feeling fine?_

_[From: Akashi]_

_Don't push yourself too hard._

_[From: Akashi]_

_You told me you'd beat me so I'm still waiting. Don't make me wait anymore, Lia. I'll be putting pressure on you. You WILL be joining the next competition. My orders are absolute._

_[From: Akashi]_

_I'll be expecting you. I have faith in you, Lia._

_[From: Akashi]_

_Lia. _

_[From: Akashi]_

_I have especially used my phone just to contact you. And I get no answer._

_[From: Akashi]_

_Hmm… phones are interesting… now I can give you instructions through long-distance communication._

_[From: Akashi]_

_Do you know of any good brand of phone? So that I could contact you in a better way and help you reach me._

_[From: Akashi] _

_Once you reach me… the rest is up to you to surpass me._

_[From: Akashi]_

_By the way. You picked up my scissors last time. Please return them._

_[From: Akashi] _

_Return my scissors, Lia._

Lia was laughing loudly, confusing Gale even more. "At first you were on the verge of tears and now you're… laughing? Dude, you're creepy!" Gale backed away slowly. Lia was still clutching her stomach due to so much laughter. "Who knew he was such a dork when it came to technology? THIS IS PRICELESS! And his scissors are-" Lia couldn't stop laughing. "Maybe he got too used to meeting people personally that he had no idea how to talk properly using technology!" She continued laughing. Gale was just looking at her weirdly. "Umm… who?" She asked. "Ah. Nobody." Lia tried stifling her laughter.

She then typed in a message while tears streamed down her face. Her phone's screen got wet because of her tears – tears of joy.

_[From: Lia]_

_Hey… I'm fine. You didn't have to flood my inbox, though. But… really. Thank you, Akashi. Hey, I know you're busy but… do you want to come meet me somewhere? I won't be able to take you seriously through the phone. Your messages just made my day._

* * *

They met in a very luxurious restaurant. Lia felt awkward since she looked haggard and really tired and she felt like she didn't fit in the atmosphere. It had the same atmosphere as the Rakuzan auditorium's atmosphere. Akashi sat across of her and had his arms folded against his chest. Lia was still staring blankly at the table of food. It had a huge lobster on a platter, Salisbury steak, Buffalo wings, and pasta. "… Are you expecting me to eat all of _these_?" Lia asked him. Akashi put on his smile and chuckled. His chuckle sounded like bells to Lia's ears. "This is a feast I ordered especially for you. Take it home if you must." He told her. He sounded more like he was giving orders than being nice.

Lia sweat-dropped. She had no idea what to eat first! She took one out of the huge plate of Buffalo wings. She started slicing it with a knife and eating each piece one-by-one. "Eat more. You'll need your strength." Akashi urged her. Lia had no idea why he was being so concerned. Is this the "Caring Mother Akashi" she read about in his data? She should start stalking him again. "I will, but… what's this feast for?" She asked. "I'll try to pull you up starting from now on. You interest me, Lia. You hid in the bushes and introduced yourself to me ever so bravely before. You went into my house and tried to defy me, even though you knew the consequences." He explained. "Therefore… I'll only pull you up so that you'll be ready to face me." He told her. Lia blinked in confusion.

"You're preparing me?" She said. Akashi just watched her eat, his eyes focused on her and only her. "I'm guiding you, Lia. You can do it alone by your own abilities. But without the motivation, you may fall. I'm merely here to stay by your side. To let you know that I'm still waiting." He said it like it was not sweet at all, but Lia could feel her entire face turning red. "Then what? What will happen if I do succeed? Even though my grades are failing and my heart is losing hope…" She told him, her hand clutched the knife tightly.

"By the way… where are my scissors?" Akashi suddenly held out his hand, demanding. Lia almost choked at a huge piece of chunk she swallowed. She quickly took her drink and sipped. She set the glass down after and wiped her face with a napkin. "Scissors?" She asked. "Yes. My scissors. Hand them over." He was ordering her, she just knew it. Lia ended up smirking, trying to provoke him once more. She took her knife and fork from the table and giggled. "… No weapons?" She asked. Akashi flinched a little. It was a subtle movement, but Lia noticed it, and she just laughed.

"… Lia… you lost my scissors, haven't you?"

"Oh, no. It's in my bag. Come get if you can."


	18. Chapter 18 You Dolt

Once again, it was only just the two of them – Yelena and Gale.

Or so they thought… when Lia suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"GALE! WHERE ARE THOSE SCISSORS I LET YOU BORROW?" She shook Gale's shoulders until the poor girl got dizzy. "W-W-What scissors?" Gale asked back. Yelena was still wondering why Lia suddenly appeared in front of her room and how she actually knew that Gale was in her room. Gale was in a different class… how did Lia know that Gale was _always_ in Yelena's classroom? Lia's stalker instinct never fail to amuse Yelena.

The first thing they noticed about Lia was that her face was pale. The next thing they knew was, she actually made time to come see them even though she had a busy schedule. "THE SCISSORS YOU BORROWED YESTERDAY WERE AKASHI'S SCISSORS AND HE IS NOW DEMANDING FOR ME TO RETURN THOSE BUT I LIED AND TOLD HIM THE SCISSORS WERE IN MY BAG BUT HE DIDN'T BELIEVE ME AND NOW HE'S BRAGGING THAT HE IS NEVER WRONG AND THAT HE WAS RIGHT ABOUT ME LOSING HIS SCISSORS NOW YOU'RE MY LAST CHANCE TO PROVE TO HIM THAT HE'S WRONG AND THAT I DIDN'T LOSE HIS SCISSORS!" Lia didn't even stop to breathe. Yelena and Gale just stared at her, wondering where she took breathing exercises to be able to do that. "No, Lia… I think you're mistaken. Why would I borrow scissors in the middle of exam week?" Gale tilted her head, obviously not knowing where Lia got the idea of the 'Gale borrowed Akashi's scissors' thing.

Lia's hands were crazily running through her hair, messing up the curls. "GAAAH! Where did I put those? Ah, wait! Maybe they're at home! Oh, shoot. Lilith must have thought that those were hers! Shoot!" Lia then quickly ran away, leaving the two other girls dumbfounded. "Akashi's scissors? Why does she have Akashi's scissors?" Gale asked. "No idea. I don't even get why Akashi went that far just for… scissors… I mean, he's filthy rich. Can't he just buy another pair?" Yelena shrugged her shoulders. "Like I would know. Anyway, let's hurry up and finish up our projects. We don't want to go home late again." Gale suggested. They hurriedly went to the Home Economics room.

* * *

Although Gale clearly said that she did not want to go home late, she ended up leaving at 8pm. Yelena was still in the basketball court, training to become the team's manager. Gale didn't know why Yelena suddenly developed interest in the sport, but she thought that it must because of Kagami's influence. They were neighbors, after all. She also concluded that it must be because of Kuroko, too.

It was late, but some students were still wandering the streets. Most of them are boys. Gale had her arms crossed against her chest and her face didn't show any signs of emotion, giving off an intimidating impression. When she reached the crossroads, she noticed that there were some male students who were blocking the way. She tried to walk past them, cursing them in her head. "Hey! That chick's going to pass! Let her through!" She heard one of them say. She accidentally made eye contact with them. Her face was shining beneath the moonlight and her hair completely captivated them. What's more was that she had a very strong impression due to her serious face and crossed-arms stance.

She just ignored them and continued walking. After a while, she heard footsteps behind her. "Hey, give us your number, babe." She winced at those terrible, disgusting words. "Come on, babe. Don't be mad at us just because we were blocking your way! We let you through like a Queen, right?" Another one said. Gale was starting to get pissed. Even though she knew how to kick a guy on his worst body part ever, she's not stupid to pick a fight with a _group_ of stranger guys.

This was exactly why she hated crowds. She feels so vulnerable around people.

She started walking faster, but they won't budge. She was already trying to catch her breath, but her efforts were not rewarded. "Hey, why are you hurrying? There's nothing to be afraid about!" One guy was already walking beside her. She had to think of something. There were lots of students around. Maybe she could ask for help? No. She can't trust anyone! Besides, they're all strangers! If she tried to ask for help, she'll make a scene. Worse, CROWDS of people will start gathering around her. She would rather die than become the center of attention.

Suddenly, she saw a fork in the road ahead. She walked faster again and turned right. "This isn't the way home, but…" she mumbled to herself, trying to think of a way to keep them from following her home. It took all her pride not to look back and see if they're still following her. She was too absorbed in her thoughts and too frustrated to think of anything else that she accidentally bumped into something _hard_.

She gasped at the impact and looked up to see who was blocking the way. A stout man turned around and came face-to-face with her. She recognized him… isn't he the Kaijo team's coach, Genta Takeuchi? Thank Momoi's data. "Hmm? You're…" He looked at her from head to toe. She gulped in nervousness. She heard one of the bastard guys' voices. "Hey, wait. Is that her dad? Scary and fat, huh…" She immediately became pissed again upon hearing them. They followed her all the way here?

"Let's see… 156cm in height, odd hair color that looks like a mixture of blue and purple, large black ribbon which resembles cat ears… you're that girl who Kise had trouble with." Genta analyzed her bit by bit. She was awed when he found out her exact height. "Coach!" A familiar voice called from afar. Genta turned around and saw the Kaijo basketball team. Gale's eyes widened. She ended up getting lost again on the road leading to Kaijo.

Kise saw her and was a bit surprised. "Hanacchi? Did you get lost again?" He teased her. "Kise, are you trying to provoke her again, you moron?" Kasamatsu scolded the youngest member of the team and eyed him dangerously. "My, my. You never learn." Moriyama added. Kise smiled deviously, waiting for Gale's retort… but there was none. He confusingly looked at her and noticed that she was shaking and her face looked really troubled. "AH? Hey, look at those guys behind her! Are they her classmates?" Hayakawa pointed at the bastards behind her. "Aw, shit. Her friends are too intimidating! Let's go!" One of them said and they quickly ran away.

"I think those guys were following her." Genta told them. Gale flinched, still unable to shake of the paranoia. She was trying to hide her expression, but failed to do so. "They… did they hurt you?" Kise's voice startled her. She looked up at him and his expression looked terribly dangerous. He looked like a wild animal that was about to hunt down its prey. "No. They just called me 'babe'. That's all." Gale shyly admitted, silently regretting that she wasn't able to fend them off on her own. If she didn't bump into the Kaijo team, the bastard would still be following her until now. "THEY DID _WHAT_? Are they trying to kill themselves? What if you suddenly kicked them or something or stabbed them with that deadly pencil of yours? Geez, they got some guts." Kise nodded to himself.

Gale's aura immediately darkened. "Are you worried about her or now? Make up your mind, dumbass!" Kasamatsu hit the poor blonde on the head. "Here we go again…" Genta sighed and walked away to avoid embarrassment. "… On second though… _it's you I want to murder_." Gale cracked her knuckles. "AND WHY DID YOU CALL ME 'HANACCHI'? WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM?" She leaned forward to punch him on the stomach. Kise felt the blood from his guts rise up and escape from his mouth. Her hands were really strong for girl who's 10 inches shorter than him. "Hana is flower. Your name… is 'Snowdrop', right? It's a flower." He explained, even though he was still in great pain.

Kasamatsu already had his hands on his forehead. Moriyama, Hayakawa, and Kobori were all shocked to see a girl actually _hit_ Kise. "Look! I'm walking her home!" Kise told his basketball team mates, even though they were even more shocked to see Kise putting Gale into a headlock.

Since when did Kise learn how to pull off wrestling moves on girls, anyway?

* * *

Gale was walking a meter ahead of Kise. Her right hand was on her neck, since Kise was too brutal a while ago. She was starting to get really annoyed by their unexpected encounters and stupid arguments. "Why do you wear a huge black ribbon at the back of your head?" Kise randomly asked. Gale felt a vein pop out of her forehead at his silly question. "Because I want to…?" She answered, unsure. "How about you? Why do you were an earring on your left ear?" She asked, obviously trying to get revenge. "It looks good on me." His answer just made Gale more irritated.

Who does he think he is? Some kind of prince charming? It was a good thing that Gale wasn't the "princess type". She's not the type of girl which guys fall in love with. She's an introvert, a sadistic young lady, a complete shebastard, and considers herself a great failure. Kise was a prince and Gale was sure that she was safe around him because he'll never find himself falling for her. Gale was certain of it.

"Why didn't you call me?" Kise asked again. Gale snapped out of her thoughts, surprised at his question. "And why should I?" She answered, her back still facing Kise. For some reason, Kise wasn't trying to keep up with her. He was still walking a meter behind her. "If you were going home this late, you should've called me to walk you home." He told her. His voice wasn't his usual lively voice either and it scared Gale. "I'm not your responsibility, Ryouta…" She told him, not even trying to read what he was feeling. She didn't even bother to look at him.

Kise felt a tinge of pain across his chest but he ignored it. "Are you going to live up to your reputation as someone who won't trust anyone but herself? Geez, now I'm wondering how you managed to get friends like that sweet Yelena or that genius Lia. I'm even more amazed that they still stay by your side even though you can't trust them." He coldly said. That statement almost killed Gale on the inside. She was still pretending that it was nothing to her. There was no way she would back out from this! Kise is the man she hated the most! She won't show any weakness, of course!

"I do trust them. But I won't risk anything to make them worry." She answered. She bit her lip as she was trying to prevent her sobbing from getting too loud. "Don't you think it'll offend them more if they found that out?" Kise once again, tried asking. "What are you trying to tell me? That I'm wrong? Who are you to even nag me? You're just someone I always coincidentally cross paths with." She hissed at him, finally facing him.

Kise didn't even do anything when he saw her crying. Deep inside, she was expecting him to suddenly run toward her and comfort her. She was expecting him to apologize and tease her and make her laugh like what he usually does when he sees her upset. He didn't do it this time. "If you don't want people to worry about you, then okay. I'll be going, then."

She felt a sharp arrow strike across her heart. He was walking away. The one person who kept on annoying her for no reason and followed her around because he believed himself to be her 'lucky charm' was disappearing slowly right before her very eyes. Did he wait for her to face him first before he could leave? Did he intently show her that he was not afraid of leaving her out in the dark?

She started chuckling to herself. "Who am I kidding? I'm not even a percent of the girls who admire him and actually care about him. I'm not even a speck of dust amongst his collection of diamonds. I'm not even… someone he could actually waste his time caring about. I'm just a snowdrop wilting in the midst of summer." She started talking to herself. It has been a week since Kise asked her to call him 'Ryouta' and exams are over. It was finally summer vacation.

All she received from him were stupid text messages and missed calls. Now… that's all she ever has.

_[From: Kill Yourself] Received three days ago_

_Hey! How were exams? Geez, mine were really hard! Ack, I'm never really good in anything that requires using the brain, anyway. Don't worry about your grades too much. You'll be fine even though you're an insane tomboy._

_[From: Kill Yourself] Received an hour ago_

_Hey, are you home now? Just text if you're still at school, okay? Your lucky charm will come to the rescue~! Ah! Do you want to stop by somewhere to celebrate the start of summer vacation? Eh, we hardly bump into each other anymore, too._

Gale covered her mouth and started crying. "Bastard. You're just a typical popular guy who thinks that every girl in the world needs you. I don't!" She screamed and was about to throw her phone out of frustration when it vibrated against her palm. "Who could be texting at this hour?"

_[From: Kill Yourself]_

_Just cry it all out. No one will judge you. I'll be here if you need someone to cry on. For now, just scream at this text message if you need something to vent your frustration on. You can even kick your phone away to release your anger. I won't judge! Promise! Good night._

This time, she was laughing although she was still crying her heart out. "Stupid idiot… can't even stay mad at me for even a minute…" She felt a huge weight lifted off of her shoulders and she could hear his voice in her head, telling her not to keep everything to herself. "You make me sick, you dolt." She sighed.


	19. Chapter 19 Zodiac

_[From:Lilith]_

_[From: My Damned Sister]_

_[From: Li-senpai]_

_We have a new mission, ladies. Meet me at Maji Burger. Hurrah! First operation to celebrate the start of summer!_

* * *

"… Huh, so you got that message, too…" Lia was tapping her fingers impatiently on the table. "I'm just glad you didn't have to tie me up with a rope." Yelena was on her defensive stance, paranoid about what her comrades would do to her if she resists. "I had to wake up at 5:30am for this…" Gale's head rested on her arms which were both on the table, yawning. They were all in Maji Burger after being 'summoned'. If the Generation of Miracles had Akashi, the stalker girls also have someone who they dare not defy unless they want a death wish.

Suddenly, the door opened, revealing a familiar blonde and someone else. "Good morning, ladies!" Lilith was beaming with happiness. The first thing the three girls noticed was that she was putting someone in a headlock. Worse, it was actually a guy who was undoubtedly taller than her. How'd she do that? They will never know and they are not interested in finding out. "Who's that? You idiot! You didn't come home for days just to kidnap that guy?" Lia stood up and panicked at the sight. "Aren't we supposed to bring Momoi-san instead?" Yelena asked. "NO. I AM DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO COME IF THAT FLIRT'S COMING." Gale's drowsiness suddenly disappeared as soon as she heard Momoi's name.

Lilith let go of the guy's head and she suddenly grabbed onto his arm. "This is my boyfie!" She proudly declared. Lia was now staring in shock at them. Gale had a horrified look on her face and Yelena was blinking nonstop, unable to believe anything. "… You… didn't go home for days… for… OH, CRAP. WHAT WERE YOU DOING WITH HIM THESE PAST FEW DAYS?" Lia was now really screaming in panic, jumping up and down, and pointing at her sister in complete distress. "I don't think we should barge in that family problem…" Gale laughed nervously, standing up and backing away slowly. "I slept in his house. It was nearer to my school so I had no trouble finishing up my research! Sakurai-dear here is so helpful!" Lilith now put an arm around his neck, even though he was already traumatized enough. He couldn't even apologize anymore or say anything due to severe trauma.

"Sakurai? Sakurai Ryo of Touou basketball team, right?" Yelena's eyes sparkled. "I only know him by my stalker files, but I didn't think I'd actually get to see him!" She squealed. "Nuh-uh. Rena, this little sweetie is mine now. Hands off." Lilith stuck her tongue out.

Lia suddenly ran towards them and grabbed Sakurai by the collar. "HOW DID YOU BECOME _HER_ BOYFRIEND? ARE YOU CRAZY? DO YOU WANT TO DIE?" Lia was already shaking him by the collar. "I'm s-sorry! I couldn't—" Sakurai's reasoning was cut off when he saw Lilith giving him a _very_ sweet, sadistic smile. "… Yep. My instincts were correct. She forced him." Gale sighed. "But… why Sakurai? I mean, it's been a while since me and Gale last saw you and now… you suddenly go around, announcing that you have a boyfriend…" Yelena wondered what Lilith's type of guy was. "Aw, girls. Don't judge. Sakurai-dear is the manliest of all, you know! He's perfect for me!" Lilith still had her sadistic grin on her face. "… You're suspicious." Gale face-palmed. "You obviously want to use him for your evil schemes…" Lia followed.

Lilith suddenly started laughing. "You're so correct, my genius Lia! And don't tell Dad, okay? I spent the past few days training him to be manly just so I could prove to Hyuuga that I can get the manliest person ever!" Lilith patted her little sister's head. Lia got annoyed and slapped away her hand. "'_My_ genius Lia'? Before you go around, claiming people as _yours_, just get straight to the point and tell us what's going on." Lia sighed. Gale and Yelena were just both staring at the scene, not wanting to get involved further.

Lilith's face turned serious. She cupped her chin with her right hand and started nodding to herself. "We'll be stalking horoscopes today." Her smile was immediately back and it made the rest of them flinch. Sakurai wanted to escape but was too scared. "H-horoscopes?" Lia asked, dumbfounded. "According to the data… Midorima Shintarou's our best bet if we want help." Lilith suggested. "We're going to stalk Midorima today just for horoscopes?" Yelena thought the idea was absolutely ridiculous, but she also wondered if it would be interesting since there's a huge chance that Takao will also be there. "He scares me. Takao looks nicer." Gale commented. "B-but, Shutoku is an opposing school…" Sakurai tried to reason out.

* * *

"Hey, Shin-chan."

Takao and Midorima were both in the Shutoku gym even though there wasn't any practice today. It was the start of summer vacation, after all. They needed some kind of break before practicing for the Winter Cup next. Midorima was shooting all the balls alone and Takao just knew that he was there so he decided to stop by. "What are you doing here?" Midorima coldly asked, not even looking at him. "I thought something might happen today so I came. The horoscope said so. It's going to be an exhausting day for Cancers, right?" Takao told him.

Midorima stopped shooting and fixed his glasses. He turned to Takao and they both stared at each other for a while. "So you're expecting for it, too." He told Takao. Before any of them could react, the gym door burst open.

"THERE YOU ARE!" A blonde girl suddenly pointed at Midorima, startling both him and Takao. She grinned and pushed in a brown-haired guy. "Since you're both guys, be a man and tell him what we want!" Lilith was holding a camera and squealing in delight. Three girls were tailing her and all of them had 'doom' written all over their expressions.

On the other hand, Sakurai was shaking in fear due to Midorima looking down at him. The bespectacled man was obviously taller than Sakurai and the poor Touou player felt intimidated at his towering figure. Takao couldn't figure out what was happening. He was watching Lilith take pictures of Sakurai and Midorima facing each other. "Two manly people clashing against each other through their gazes! So beautiful!" She was squealing. Sakurai gulped and inhaled deeply. He stood up straight, trying to be braver. "W-We need you to come with us. Now!" Sakurai's voice was trembling, but he managed to pull it off. "No." Midorima bluntly answered.

"I-I'm sor—" "DON'T YOU DARE APOLOGIZE!" Sakurai was cut off by an angry Lilith who was watching them with unblinking eyes and a trusty camera. He's going to develop Lili-phobia at this rate. "You… you'll come with us! W-Whether you, umm, like it or not!" Sakurai _gently _grabbed the collar part of Midorima's shirt. "H-hey, what are you doing?" Takao tried to stop him, but Yelena and Gale grabbed both of his arms. "It's not like I want to hug you or anything." Gale was blushing terribly. "W-we were forced to do this so don't get any wrong ideas!" Yelena desperately yelled into his ear to make it clear that they were embarrassed of hugging his—No. Lia stood in front of Takao, holding out a cutter. "I will stab this in your throat if you interfere." Even though her threat was scary, her expression said otherwise. She obviously did not want to hurt Takao, who was just an innocent by-stander.

Midorima was just looking at Sakurai oddly, not even getting scared. Why was a young boy trying to pick a fight with a serious-faced six-foot-tall man, anyway? He fixed his glasses calmly. Lilith impatiently screamed. She stomped towards the two men and held both their collars harshly. "Geez! You settle matters too slowly! You're both coming with me NOW!" Lilith yelled at both of them at close range. "I'm sorry!" Sakurai was already shaking. Midorima was still calm. He looked at her from head-to-toe and decided that he has no idea who she is. "To grow beautiful parts of your body, you have to take vitamins and supplements. That's strange. I wonder what kind of vitamins you take to grow your…" Midorima's voice trailed off. Lilith's eyes widened and she let go of Sakurai just to hold Midorima's shirt with both of her hands.

"To grow my _what_?" She hissed dangerously. Midorima was now really confused, although he didn't want to show it. "Your beautiful asset." He said. "YOU JACKASS! I thought you were different from the others but all men are just the same! Jackass!" She forcefully let go of his shirt, making him almost fall. Midorima was now really furious at the girl's lack of class. "So stupid." He fixed his glasses once again and bowed down his head. "What kind of girl would get infuriated over a compliment about her hair?" He suddenly asked. Lilith winced, wondering about what he's trying to say. "But… you were talking about my asset…" She mumbled.

"Oh, so your hair's not an asset? Don't jump into conclusions." Midorima turned away and picked up his bag from the floor. The whole room was enveloped in a loud kind of silence. "… Lilith, the world doesn't revolve around your chest." Lia reminded her and face-palmed. Takao was now trying to prevent his laughter from breaking the eerie silence. "At least Midorima's not one of those crazy bastards." Gale nodded, smiling. "Yeah. At least he's a good guy!" Yelena agreed. "The horoscope is never wrong. I'm already exhausted just by that short moment. I'm going home." Midorima said before walking toward the door. Takao was finally free from the three girls' clutches and followed him. "Hey, Shin-chan, wait!"

Sakurai tried waving his hand in front of Lilith's shocked face. "Um… senpai?" He asked. All of the sudden, Lilith grabbed both his hands. "Sakurai! He's just the guy we need! He's decent, tall, manly, and he likes my hair! Plus, we need him for our horoscope mission!" She hugged him tightly. "S-Senpai… I can't… breathe…" Sakurai gasped for air. "… Do we chase after him or not?" Lia asked innocently, wishing that they wouldn't have to.

Lilith looked at all her companions one by one. "Gale and Rena! Chase after them and ask them about the horoscope! Lia, you'll come with me and Sakurai-dear!" Just then, Lilith pushed Sakurai towards the floor, making him kneel down due to the strong force exerted on his back. "You'll carry me, right, Sakurai-dear?" she sweetly asked. Sakurai felt his whole face turn red. "I-I'm sorry…" He muttered. Lilith happily hugged his neck from behind. She felt his hands touch her legs awkwardly, trying to support her and prevent her from falling.

"Roger, captain!" Gale saluted Lilith before running away. Yelena followed after. "Where are we going and why does Sakurai have to carry you on his back? What is he, your boyfriend or slave?" Lia asked, suspicious about their next move. Lilith pumped her fists up in the air. "Aw, come on! You were so excited when we stalked Kise and Akashi back then even though I wasn't interested. You have to give me my own share of fun, too, you know. You and Momoi already had your own dose of excitement. Besides, your stalker level is already too high. I want to raise my own level today." Lilith smirked. "We're going to see Hyuuga-darling today!" Lia's and Sakurai's faces were both painted with despair. Lia enjoyed stalking, that was true. But… why were they stalking horoscopes and Hyuuga, anyway?

* * *

"Wait!" Takao was about to pedal their cart, when the two girls suddenly jumped in, making a surprised Midorima jump back in astonishment. "We're coming wherever you're going!" Yelena said. "Get out of my cart!" Midorima yelled back. Takao let out a long sigh. "What am I, a babysitter?" He asked himself. "We have a few questions to ask you!" Gale put one hand on Midorima's shoulder, irritating him. He crossed his arms against his chest and closed his eyes to prevent himself from snapping. "First of all, female Aquarians. What's the most compatible sign for female Aquarians?" Yelena suddenly asked. Gale turned her head towards her, horrified. "W-Wait! Why me?" She asked. "Gemini is a good choice." Midorima answered. Gale's face heated up and she slapped herself. "Ah! Kise's a Gemini, right?" Yelena snapped her fingers in realization.

"Hey, what is the default personality of Aries girls?" Gale asked this time. Yelena's face turned pale. Midorima fixed his glasses and opened his eyes to look at them. It was the first time people were actually interested in horoscopes. "So you're Aquarius and your friend's an Aries? I see. You, with the aurora hair, our signs are not compatible." He said. "But it seems you're compatible with Kise. You, with the caramel hair, you're most compatible with another Aries or a Leo. Which means, Kagami Taiga of Seirin. You are school mates, I suppose." Midorima remembered seeing Gale before while she was on her way home. She was wearing her Seirin uniform and once you see her, she's _that_ hard to forget.

Yelena started laughing loudly. "Who knew I was compatible with my neighbor all this time?" She clutched her stomach. Takao started pedaling, realizing that the addition of two more girls as his passengers added up too much weight. "… Other compatibilities involve Aquarius, Gemini, and Libra." Midorima added. It was Gale's turn to laugh. "Ya-chan's an Aquarius!" She started shouting. Takao felt like he was in a kindergarten. "Hey, is Momoi compatible with Kuroko?" Gale asked again and Yelena was now blushing hardly. "… Even though Kise told me that she liked Kuroko, their signs don't match. Taurus and Aquarius will cause nothing but chaos. Momoi is also not compatible with Kise. Or even a Sagittarius like Akashi. She is, however compatible with Murasakibara – a Libra." Midorima's face was starting to scrunch up at the mention of his former team mates' names.

Both Gale's and Yelena's face brightened up. They high-fived each other. "MOMOI IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH _ANYBODY_! YAY!" They cheered. Midorima was starting to wonder why they chose to ignore the fact that he just mentioned that Momoi was compatible with Murasakibara. He fixed his glasses for who-knows-how-many-times already, and he nodded to himself. "I see now. Akashi, Kise, and Kuroko… they're the guys you're after. You _like_ them." He said.

Takao turned to look at the people riding in the cart, only to see the priceless reactions on Gale's and Yelena's faces.


	20. Chapter 20 Damn It All

"Y-You got it all wrong! I don't like any of those guys!" Gale defensively waved her hands in front of her. Yelena bit her lip, trying to prevent herself from smiling or making any suspicious actions. Midorima raised an eyebrow and smirked. "So I'm right." He said. Takao snickered, even though he was having a hard time pedaling. He was enjoying the awkward moment. "No, wait! It's not that! It's just… wait, no. Not me! Just Rena, okay?" Gale pointed at Yelena who was trying to be calm. "Why me? I don't know who Kuroko is!" Yelena laughed nervously. The three people around her eyed her suspiciously. She gulped, realizing her mistake.

"… We didn't even mention his name." Midorima reminded her. "You blew your own cover, idiot." Gale smirked. Takao was silently snickering on his own, wondering where these two amusing girls came from. Mars is a huge possibility. Or maybe Venus? Gale was drop-dead gorgeous, after all. Gorgeous people came from Venus. Yelena looked normal, but cute. Yes, just cute. He suddenly remembered the blonde called Lilith. She was burning hot. As for Lia, although she had the strangest appearance, she looked beautiful in Takao's eyes. Her height is a minus, though. But she's still pretty.

But Gale was _drop-dead gorgeous._ Takao suddenly blushed when his eyes came in contact with hers. "I didn't know such a girl existed. Her hair is just so beautiful and her eyes… agh, so captivating…" He thought to himself. Of course, he can't really say he has a crush on her now. He just found her alluring. He looked away quickly, trying to get his thoughts in control.

"Hey, we should introduce ourselves! My name is Galanthus Vanille Seriya!" Gale enthusiastically shook Midorima's hand against his own will. "This is Yelena Zolnervolk! She's Russian! So don't try to provoke her!" She pointed at her poor companion, who was still embarrassed. "Call us Gale and Rena! Nice to meet you, Midorima!" Midorima was clearly annoyed at her lively disposition, but he just chose to let her talk. "That girl who likes Kuroko… Rena, was it? She'll be okay if it was the zodiac signs she would be trusting. But in terms of appeal, she's going to have a hard time dealing with Momoi." Midorima advised. Gale nodded. "Still, Kuroko and she are classmates. Kagami and Kuroko are always there whenever I visit her during our breaks. She has a chance, right? A huge one, too!" Gale sounded really ridiculous now and Yelena finally snapped.

"Shut up, **you meddling slut**. Go drug your precious Kise and hide him from me before I _slaughter_ him." Yelena's voice sounded more like a growl than a girl's voice. Gale suddenly jumped backward, making the cart tilt. Midorima didn't even have time to react and Takao lost his balance. They all fell when the cart toppled over, along with the bicycle.

Midorima was _really_ furious now. "You girls _will_ leave now." He was already glaring at them and a dark aura surrounded him. Takao suffered the worst. Falling from the bicycle was something he did not want to experience. "Shin-chan, don't be so hard on them." Even though his knee had cuts and scrapes and his arms were grazed, he was still the same nice guy. Yelena's phone beeped, catching everyone's attention. She dug out her phone from her bag and her eyes widened at the sight of the text message.

"Who's it from?" Gale asked. "Kuroko Tetsuya." Yelena answered, calling him by his full name for the first time.

_[From: Ko-chan]_

_Are you available right now? We can practice on the street basketball court near my house._

* * *

After a bit of persuading, Yelena left to see Kuroko, not because she was obsessed about being with her not-so-secret-crush-anymore, but because she wanted to try many different things – including basketball which is why she took the opportunity to become the manager of the Seirin team behind the shadows. Unlike Momoi who chose to expose herself in official matches as if she was offering free fan-service to the males surrounding her, Yelena chose to work in the dark and support them without being on court.

Meanwhile, Gale was about to leave when Midorima suddenly grabbed her arm. "That blonde… what was her sign?" He asked. Gale looked at him, confused about his sudden interest. "She's a Pisces." She answered. Midorima shrugged and let go of her arm. He fixed his glasses before helping Takao put the cart back in place. "Our signs match. But she doesn't seem like a typical Pisces to me." He told her. Gale had no idea what he was saying so she just left.

"I have nowhere to go. I don't want to go home." Gale was walking like a zombie in the middle of nowhere. This was the territory of Shutoku High and she has never been here. She was completely lost. Her hands were folded across her chest and her shoulders were stiff. She didn't really care if she's in a place where she had no idea of, but there were so many unfamiliar people around.

She really despised the outside world. She was always alone at home, after all.

She noticed a huge crowd of people from afar. They were all holding cameras and notebooks. Most of them were girls and gay people. She stopped in her tracks and observed the crowd carefully. She had poor eyesight due to her astigmatism and once again, she forgot her glasses at home. "KISE-KUN!" She heard the crowd go wild and shouted someone's name. The very person she wanted to avoid for now… was here. Her mouth hung agape and her eyes widened. She was shaking so hard that she couldn't move from her spot.

She face-palmed, cursing herself for being stupid. "Why only now of all times?" She quickly turned around and was about to catch up to Midorima when she heard another fan shout "Go, Kise-kun! Dunk it! Dunk the ball! Kyaaaa! So gorgeous!" Those lines caught her attention. "Is he… playing basketball?" She looked back at the crowd. Her feet took action before her mind could. She absentmindedly wandered toward the crowd, forgetting about her own fear; forgetting about her hatred towards groups of people surrounding her.

She saw him running towards the other end of a huge court. She didn't know that there was a court just around here. Kasamatsu had the ball dribbling between his palm and the ground. Moriyama was defending against him. Suddenly, Kasamatsu pulled over his turn-around drive and easily got past Moriyama's defense. Kobori was defending Kise, but Kise, of course, was able to get through. Kasamatsu quickly passed the ball to Kise.

Gale thought her heart was going to pop out of her chest. She watched in amazement. Time was in slow motion for her when she saw him dribble past through both Kobori and Moriyama at the same time. He looked like a different person – he's not the usual idiot she used to tease and argue with. His face was filled with determination and excitement. He looked so bright. "… Why were they even practicing here, of all places?" Gale's nails painfully dug into her palms. She was shaking, bearing something unexplainable inside of her.

Kise looked like as if he was in slow motion. He jumped up with the ball in his hands. Hayakawa tried to block his shot. "So it's actually 3-against-2…" Gale mumbled to herself, her voice trembling. "NOOO! I'LL BLOCK THAT!" Hayakawa yelled while trying to block Kise's shot. Gale's eyes widened. Kise dunked the ball into the basket with flying colors. They hit the ground as if they were in slow motion. Kise's hands ran through his beautiful hair as he tried to shake his sweat off his forehead, giving him a perfect 'wet look'.

Gale was too awed to move. Her trembling hands made way to her face and covered her quivering mouth. Kise and Kasamatsu high-fived each other. "Ah, that was a good warm-up! Let's go! Coach will be meeting us at the train station!" Kasamatsu's voice was heard from afar. "Yeah!" The Kaijo team agreed. Kise turned around to look at his fans and he winked. At that moment, Gale felt a sharp needle pierce through her heart. "Damn it… that Casanova…" She looked around, finally noticing that his fans were screaming and pulling their hair. Some even fainted. She hurriedly tried to escape from the roaring audience… and succeeded.

She held her knees, panting. "What made me go in there, anyway?" She asked herself. She walked away quickly, hoping no one noticed her. She was still wondering why she saw some kind of spark when she saw him play. There was something different about him. There was something so beautiful in his aura. She chose not to mind it, though. After all, he's Kise. It's natural for him to be beautiful. Too beautiful to fall in love with. "Um… Ryouta-kun!" She heard someone say. Startled, she quickly hid behind a random tree and watched the scene.

There was an extremely beautiful girl holding a heart-shaped box. She had beautiful, silver locks – even more beautiful than Lia's platinum white hair. Her silver locks had a purple hue and her eyes were a lovely shade of violet. Kise and his team mates were in front of her. They looked like they were already on their way to their destination, but this girl stopped him. The girl wasn't alone – there were two others with her. "Go on, tell him!" One of the two girls told the pretty girl. "Y-Yes!" The pretty girl nodded, blushing.

There was something inside Gale's chest that made her want to scream and kick the pretty girl's box away. She was too beautiful. She was so cute and so ladylike and shy that Gale had no idea what she was feeling. Worse, she saw Kise smile at the pretty girl so gently. "… He never smiled at me like that… we were always fighting." She mumbled to herself. Kise walked toward the pretty girl and chuckled his most wonderful chuckle. His beautiful laughing voice was music. Perfect music.

Gale's hands covered her face and she started squealing softly. Her whole face was covered except her eyes. "Um… this is… for you. I made it!" The pretty girl smiled at him and heaven knows how _gorgeous _her smile was. Gale may be drop dead gorgeous, but this girl looked like a heavenly gift from the universe. She was so angelic. Kise blushed. Gale slapped her face when she saw him blush. The pretty girl was blushing, too. "… Fuck." Gale suddenly cursed. She _accidentally_ cursed.

Kise laughed and took the box from the angel's hands. His warm fingers brushed against her soft hand and it felt like static electricity went through both their hands. "Ah, thank you so much." Kise opened it and saw heart-shaped chocolates inside with his name carved in every piece. There were three pieces which were different, though. The three pieces had the character 'I', a heart, and 'U'. He picked one from the pieces with his name on it and ate it. "It tastes good! Did you really make this? Wow, you're amazing!" Kise looked so happy that the pretty girl felt her whole soul falling completely in love with him. "Ah! I'm so glad!" She bowed down politely.

Gale saw him happy. She saw him happy in front of an angel. That kind of smile was never shown in front of her. She was still covering her face, speechless. "… W-wait. I hate that guy! Why am I being such a dork, thinking about how he never smiled like that in front of me? Damn it!" Gale continued watching. Kise was smiling kindly at the angel. "Ah, I would like some more of these again, if you don't mind! Are you free tomorrow?" He asked the angel. The angel's friends squealed in delight. "He's asking you out!" One of them said.

Gale quickly stormed off and ran away. She did not want to hear her answer.


	21. Chapter 21 Sleeping Beauty

Lia was hiding behind the bushes. No, she wasn't stalking anybody this time around. Actually, she was hiding from someone. She was panting heavily, trying to catch her breath to prevent herself from fainting. She was prone to fainting due to her severe abuse of her body. Always sleep-deprived and always killing herself through her studies, Lia's health was definitely not in top condition. "Damn. My sister sure knows how to stir up trouble." She helplessly wandered along the street, finally getting out of the bushes. "Why did she have to provoke some gangsters, anyway? That selfish woman. She didn't even think about what would happen to Sakurai! And I got separated from them, too. Where am I?" Lia looked around. She recognized the place, but she had no idea where it was.

She walked slowly, still trying to remember the name of the place. She saw a group of high school students jogging. They looked like basketball players. Lia was sure that she saw that uniform somewhere before. "This place is famous for its training camps…" She snapped her fingers in realization. She walked around, admiring the place. "To think the bus brought me to this place… stupid Lilith… if it weren't for her picking a fight in that bus, I wouldn't have jumped off in panic." She felt pissed, remembering how she actually jumped out of a moving bus like a ninja and ran away as fast as she can. "Let's see… there's a villa beside that mountain over there and… a beach house over there… Oh, right! This place is near the beach!" Lia was squealing in delight.

"There's that bitch!" Lia quickly turned around and saw the same gangsters. Her eyes widened and she felt her adrenaline rise up to its peak. She ran away without knowing where she was going and was mentally cursing herself. "Why won't they just let me go?" She complained. She skidded past through vendors and customers as she reached the town market. She wondered if those gangsters can catch up to her at this rate. It was good thing that her height also had advantages. 153 centimeters wasn't so bad, after all, even though she's the smallest among her group of friends.

She hid behind a pillar. She couldn't take it anymore. Her heart clutched her chest tightly. She couldn't breathe anymore. "They'll catch me if I stay here." She whispered. Her head slowly leaned back on the pillar and she could feel her legs giving up on her. She fell down to the ground with only the pillar supporting her back, making her still able to sit upright. Her eyelids were starting to close and she swore she saw a silhouette in front of her before she completely blacked out.

Maybe it was a dream. She only saw silhouette, after all. Her eyes were too blurry to see who it was. In truth, it wasn't a dream. This was reality and Akashi was always the type of person to believe in reality. He looked at her as if he knew that he was going to see her here. He _is_ Akashi. He is never wrong. He smirked and kneeled down, gently brushing off the long bangs covering her face. His right hand touched her cheek gently as he admired every inch of the sleeping beauty.

"… Your heartbeat." He mumbled. With his Emperor's Eye, he was able to see her breathing patterns and her heartbeat. He noticed that her breathing was slower than normal and her heartbeat was inconsistent. He gently used his left hand to raise her back from the pillar and slowly supported her. His right hand moved her head from the pillar to his shoulder. Then he used the same hand to raise her legs, supporting from behind her knees. He lifted her from the ground without even breaking a sweat. "Awfully light." He commented. He made it a promise to himself that he would confront her about skipping her meal times and forming a healthy diet.

He walked slowly, trying not to wake her up. He started to wonder why he even picked her up in the first place when he could just pretend that he didn't see her. Akashi has just always been that type of guy. "Hey, it's Akashi!" One guy wearing a basketball varsity jacket called out from the mountains. "H-Hey, where'd you get that girl?" Another asked him. These two were his Rakuzan team mates and they were both a bit worried about the unconscious young girl. "She collapsed in the marketplace." Akashi answered. "I'm bringing her to the villa." He smiled and continued walking towards a large mountain villa.

He went inside and walked up the stairs. It was a good thing that one of the bedrooms was open. Even if it wasn't, Akashi would have still found a way to open it. He went inside and carefully placed Lia's light body on a luxurious canopy bed. The sheets were white but the blanket itself was red. The pillows were also red. The curtains at the sides of the bed were made of white satin and it made Lia look like a perfect sleeping beauty. Akashi pulled the red covers over her. His hand touched her forehead. "Where did you come from?" He asked, even though he knew that she was asleep.

For a moment, he just wanted this moment to last even if it's just for a while; even just for today. He wanted to watch her peacefully go to Dreamland. Her white locks complemented the red pillows. She looked like a daughter of St. Valentine. "Did you come from Heaven?" He asked again, his hand moving from her forehead to her cheek. He noticed her lips move even in her sleep. "The red blankets are like drops of blood on the white sheets of snow… on your white hair." He continued on talking in a metaphorical sense, finally removing his hand from her face. She couldn't hear him and it was too bad that she never will find out what he was saying at this moment. "Your exams… I know you did well." He gently smiled.

It was like he was back to the old Akashi – the nicer one. His eyes changed but his soul hasn't. Maybe when he's with her, he changes back. There was no definite proof and Akashi knew that it wasn't easy to change him back. There are two Akashi, after all. He put his hand on her forehead again. "I see. You _are _sick." He noticed her peaceful face wince at something painful. Her cheeks turned red. "That is terrible. Getting a fever just because you are tired is not normal." His expression changed from gentle to serious. He leaned down, his lips brushing against her ear. "Sweet dreams… Lia." He whispered before giving her a short, sweet kiss on the forehead. He stood up and proceeded to leave the room. As he was about to get out, he looked back at her sleeping figure. "… I'm starting to not like you, Lia. You're making me… feel vulnerable." He bitterly said before finally leaving the room.

He knew that she was making him change and he did not like it all. He had to do something to keep his balance or he'll fall. "There are only two options… either she will fall or I will. There is no world that can support us both."


	22. Chapter 22 Shogi

"Wake up."

A sweet, silky voice kept on echoing in her mind. She felt like she had just awaken from her deep slumber, but she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes. "Lia…" That beautiful voice was like a lullaby in her ears. She could hear _his_ voice, calling her name so gently; so sweetly. "Lia…" The voice was getting closer and it almost felt like his breath was tickling her ear. She opened one eye first, then the other. Her blurry eyesight kept her from seeing the face right in front of her, but it slowly became clearer.

She gasped and sat upright, backing away. "A-A-Akashi?" Her heterochromatic eyes blinked too many times, unable to believe that he was right there in front of her. A sharp pain went through her head and she yelped at the sudden throbbing of her head. "You must rest, Lia. You are still going to defeat me, after all." Akashi reminded her. He held her shoulders and gently lay her down on the soft bed again. Lia blushed at his touch and to top it all off, she noticed that she wasn't wearing her jacket anymore and he was touching her _bare_ shoulders. Heaven knows how hot her whole body felt when his fingertips brushed against her skin. _Holy shit_.

He was sat on the bed and set down a basin filled with water on the floor. He dipped in a towel and pressed the towel on her forehead. "You didn't return my scissors." He suddenly said. Lia's whole body froze at his words. "… G-Gale lost it! It's not my fault!" She panicked, thinking about the many ways Akashi could punish her. Akashi smirked. His hand made its way to his pocket and he got out a pair of scissors. "… You have a bad memory." He told her. "You already returned my scissors before you left the restaurant. I was just testing you, Lia. And it is not nice to go around accusing your friend." He explained. Lia gawked at him. Her trembling finger pointed at the pair of scissors he was holding out. "You… You scared me! I thought I was going to get punished! Geez, don't do that!" She complained, pouting at him.

He put down the scissors at the end table beside the bed and sighed. "My dear Lia… I told you I'd help you. That is only because I am interested in what you can do once you reach your full power." He crossed his arms against his chest and gazed at her. His gold eye and red eye looked so terrifying, yet so lovely. "You are sick today. So we will be doing an activity that won't tire you out." He suggested. Lia gulped upon hearing the word _activity_. "It's an activity that won't need you to get off the bed." Akashi explained further, but Lia's face was already red. "NO!" She yelled. Akashi just calmly looked at her, waiting for her to calm down.

Embarrassed, Lia looked away. She didn't know what came into her mind upon hearing his weird suggestions. "We are going to play shogi." He told her. Lia quickly looked back at him. "SHOGI?"

* * *

"What's he doing?"

"Playing shogi. It's obvious."

"Who's that girl?"

The Rakuzan team except Akashi were all peeking into the windows of the living room. Inside was Akashi with his arms crossed, sitting in front of a small table. On top of the table is a shogi board. Lia was sitting across him, on the other side of the board and she looked really disturbed. Meanwhile, Akashi was just calmly gazing at her, amused by her reactions. "This is hard!" Lia suddenly snapped. "It's natural. My victory is already absolute." Akashi told her. "Wait, no! I'm not done yet!" Lia slammed her hands on the board, accidentally toppling it over.

She suddenly jumped back and stared at the shogi pieces in horror. Akashi picked up a piece and threw it in the air. "Try again, Lia." He caught the shogi piece effortlessly. Lia felt her right eye twitch. So he's not going to help her pick up the pieces, huh? She silently cursed, picking up the board and putting it on the table before picking up the shogi pieces one-by-one. Akashi patiently waited for her to position them on the table. "There's a missing piece, Lia." Akashi told her. "It's in your hand… you can't fool me." She stuck her tongue out at him. Akashi suddenly chuckled. "Lia… you're really interesting. One moment, you're serious. The other, you're childish. Bipolar, perhaps?" He rested his chin on his hand as his elbow rested on the table. He was smiling at her so deviously that Lia had no idea how to react. "I'm not." She answered. Akashi settled the last shogi piece on the board. They both looked at the complete set in silence.

"Make a move, Lia." He ordered her. "No way." She willingly disobeyed him. Akashi's eyes narrowed. He picked up a pair of scissors on the table slowly. "You won't hurt me, Akashi." Before he could even move, he was stunned by Lia's confident words. He was still holding the scissors and for the first time in forever, his eyes widened. "How sure are you?" He asked back. Lia's hands were clenched into fists, throbbing. "Just make your move first, Akashi." She told him. "You're not in any position to give me orders." Akashi simply told her as he proceeded to raise the scissors from the table.

Lia pouted. "I'll make myself equal to you." She told him. "I know that." He now started snipping at the air, obviously threatening Lia. "You're not always right, Akashi."

She went too far. Akashi leaned forward and snipped some strands of her perfect hair. Meanwhile, the Rakuzan team hurriedly left the windowsill. Lia stoned on the spot. Her eyes darted to the hair strands on the floor, not minding the scissors beside her face. She didn't even make eye contact with Akashi even though his face was too close. "… It took so long to grow those, too." She sighed. Akashi scowled at her, realizing that she wasn't putting up resistance. He slowly withdrew his hand and backed away, sitting back on his chair.

"This time, I was right. You can't hurt me, Akashi." Lia finally faced him with a smile. Akashi's face darkened as he slowly put down the scissors back on its original position. "Do you still want to defeat me, Lia?" He asked her. They were challenging each other through their dangerous eye contact. "Of course. You won't acknowledge me if I don't." She answered slyly with a sweet smile on her lovely face. "I like you better when you're asleep." Akashi stood up, grabbing three pieces of the shogi characters on the board. He set one down on a vacant square, making his first move. "Your turn, Lia. Don't make me wait…"

_Jackpot_. Lia was a bit surprised to see that he finally made his first move even though he ordered her to move first and she disobeyed. He didn't kill her. He didn't even leave a scratch on her. The few strands he cut didn't even change the way her hair looked. She moved one piece from her side, accepting his challenge. "I didn't make you wait, did I?" She asked innocently. Her nervousness suddenly came back, thinking about what he could have done if she wasn't so confident about her defiance against his orders. Akashi wasn't looking at her anymore. Out of the two shogi characters left on the palm of his hand, he carefully set another down, leaving one. "Are you sure? There's no backing out… do you know what can possibly happen when you finally prove to me your worth?" He asked again, his expression unreadable. Lia shook her head; staring at the unusual position Akashi had put his character on the board. "… This is hard." She commented.

Akashi smirked, twiddling with the last shogi piece on his palm. "I'll tell you… if you beat me at least once." He set down the piece, smirking. "I ask again… do you still want to be seen as my equal?" He whispered. There goes his silky voice again, making Lia confused. She just watched their game, not minding his ominous presence. "Of course." She dreamily answered. Akashi chuckled, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. "There's no turning back, Lia." He reminded her. Lia just nodded, finally making her third move. "Your turn." She murmured.

"I already told you… I'd marry you once you manage to defeat me."

"I see."

"You'll be mine."

"I'll be yours? Deal."


	23. Chapter 23 Winning Is Everything

The whole day, they did nothing but play games. Akashi always won. It has been so long since Lia enjoyed the resentment of losing, so she enjoyed it although it exasperated her. Akashi went back into the living room to check on her and she was still stuck on the same position. "I have nowhere else to go." She desperately clung to her four last shogi characters, cursing Akashi's name in her head over and over again. She started coughing and wheezing, alerting Akashi. "… You've done well enough. You must go back to bed." He told her. "No." She once again, disobeyed him. Akashi was getting tired of the stubborn girl and he wanted to murder her with his own two hands… but couldn't. He didn't know why. He just can't. "… You have to take care of yourself. You're not my responsibility." He announced. "I know that. Stop nagging me. IF I'm not your responsibility, why nag me?" Lia asked.

She didn't really have bad intentions in asking, she just had to. She just didn't understand why he was being so concerned over his enemy. "I'm just trying to make your last moments worth living for, Lia." He talked so calmly as if Lia's death was already definite. Lia glared at him. "Last moments? I feel like I'm a fat pig being prepared to be butchered in the meat house." She sighed. "Fine. I lost. I'll rest." She stood up and walked past Akashi. She felt her hand being grabbed, forcing her to look back at him. "I _will_ kill you if you lose tomorrow, Lia. You already lost four times today. I'm trying to help you, but you don't seem to be improving." He elaborated. "That is why I have decided that tomorrow will be our last shogi game. Don't waste my time. If you lose tomorrow, you're not going to like your punishment." His creepy smile made Lia's skin crawl.

She withdrew her hand forcefully. "I'm not going to die, Akashi." She assured him before running up the stairs. She felt dizzy and her fever has returned due to mental fatigue. "… That's right… I must go home…" She murmured to herself. She quickly went inside the room where she last slept and locked the door from the inside. She immediately found her phone on the end table. She checked it and felt jittery at what she saw. There were five missed calls from Lilith and thirty-four messages. "It was her fault, anyway." She still felt bitter about the bus incident. She put the phone in her pocket and opened the window. "Damn it. Akashi will kill me if I try to escape. I have no choice. I have to get home." She didn't even bother checking the clock. All she knew was that it was already really dark outside. The mountain looked scary at night, but she didn't mind. She just wanted to escape.

She carefully stood on the windowsill. The cold breeze brushed along her long hair as she was looking down. "I'd rather die here than be killed by that man, anyway." She told herself. Holding her breath, she jumped down. She landed by her knees and elbows, making her cry in pain. "Crap! I was too loud!" She covered her mouth, even though her whole body stung. She hurriedly hid behind a tree and tried to look at her window secretly. She let out a sigh of relief.

"I have no time to wait for my body to feel well." She was already panting. She tried to make her way out of the mountain forest, but it was too dark. She didn't even know which way would lead her back to the small town. She just wanted to get out of the villa as soon as possible. She hurriedly dug out her phone from her pocket. "Crap! No signal? Perfect timing!" She sarcastically said. She fought the impulse to throw her phone away, but she knew that she would need it later on. She kept going, ignoring the scary atmosphere.

While stumbling over some vines and tree roots, she fell on the grass. Her fall didn't hurt, though. She looked around and was amazed at what she saw. She was on an open meadow. The meadow was filled with lots of red and gold roses and she imagined those roses to be Akashi's eyes. The petals were dancing in the air, giving more color to the midnight sky. Gold and red; midnight sky. Weren't those the exact colors of their eyes? Lia's inner irises were gold and her outer ones were midnight blue. Both gold. But only his red and her blue contrasted.

"In my midnight sky, he's my…" She silently whispered. "You _did_ escape. I am never wrong." A voice from behind her startled her. She stood up and backed away. He found her. Actually, she didn't underestimate him and she knew he'd expect for her departure. "I was waiting for you. I knew you'd end up here." He told her. He walked toward her slowly; it made her want to run. "I know. You won again." She smirked, still backing away. "This is the fifth time I won, Lia. Your last words?" He asked her. Lia swallowed her saliva, but her throat was still dry. Her eyes were losing focus and her mind was already in swirls. Her fever is picking up. She fell backward, feeling weak. "I guess I never could beat you. Who am I kidding?" She smiled at the sky, admiring the beautiful sight.

Akashi finally reached her and kneeled down. His scissors were on his right hand and he cupped Lia's cheek with his left. "You finally gave in." He smirked. Lia closed her eyes and waited for the pain of the scissors. All she heard was his lovely voice. "Do you know why I like scissors, Lia?" He asked her. Lia didn't respond. If he was going to kill her, he should do it now while she was waiting. Else, she'll try to run away if she changes her mind. "Because scissors won't be able to do their natural purpose if there was only one blade." He told her. Lia didn't understand the significance of his words. She felt his hand caress her cheek gently. His touch always made her stomach flip.

They were in a field of roses underneath the midnight sky. She was going to die in a flower meadow underneath the midnight sky. She was going to die _by_ his hands. "But if there were two… not only will it double the damage, but it will serve its main purpose." He continued babbling about scissors and Lia was starting to get disgusted of his obsession with scissors. "You and I are like scissors, Lia."

Lia's eyes suddenly opened. They came in contact with Akashi's and Lia felt static electricity building up inside of her. "What?" She asked. Akashi wasn't even pointing the scissors at her throat. He just had his scissors on his right hand, but he didn't look like he was going to attack. Lia felt really uneasy about what was going to happen. A surprise death, maybe? Akashi's expression was unreadable and he was just staring at her normally. "Game over." He whispered.

Lia gasped and was about to back away but Akashi grabbed her wrist. Lia's fear was engulfing her bit by bit and her lips were trembling. She didn't even have the voice to scream. She was really scared of him this time. "You win, Lia."

Akashi let go of her wrist, stood up and walked away. Lia watched his disappearing figure, dumbfounded. "Wait… w-wha—HOW?" She stood up and chased after him. He didn't look back at her. When Lia finally caught up, she tried catching his attention by walking ahead of him while still facing him. "Hey! A little explanation here please? Why didn't you kill me? This would have been a perfect place for my death, you know!" She was still complaining, but Akashi's eyes were fixed on the road ahead. Lia felt her fever disappear and she went back to being the hyper-active Lia who loved annoying people.

Of course, Akashi was annoyed but he just didn't budge. Lia looked at the path he was heading to and saw light. This was the way out of the forest and down the mountain. Suddenly, Akashi handed over some money to Lia. She stared at the money blankly. "Go home. Your sister will be worried. Take a bus from the station. Contact me if you get lost." He ordered her. He then turned around. "Wait, Akashi! You didn't tell me how I won! Are you kidding me? Don't be unfair! I still haven't defeated you! Don't underestimate me, Akashi!" Lia was screaming her lungs out.

Akashi looked back at her, his eyes filled with tender emotion. Lia cringed upon seeing that his eyes turned into a lighter shade. It became more captivating and it made him look like a sweet, young man. He smiled. The moonlight shone upon his face and Lia saw a new kind of light in his gentle smile. He turned around and walked back into the forest. Right before the trees hid him from Lia's sight, he mentioned a few words which captivated Lia, making her speechless.

"You won my heart, Lia."


	24. Chapter 24 You Are My Love

**This story will be on hiatus for a while. Please bear with me. I haven't finished my Ouran fic yet, so yeah. Plus, I'm trying to keep up with the fast pacing of this story. So, yeah. I'm also in the middle of exam week. **

**This poor Author-sama will return.**

* * *

"Next time, I'm telling Dad. You better be grateful I didn't tell anyone that you weren't in your room." Lilith was fixing the clothes inside her cabinet. Lia was on Lilith's bed, staring at the ceiling. "You were just guilty because it was your fault, anyway." She reminded her sister about what actually happened. "If you didn't jump off the bus, we wouldn't follow and you wouldn't get lost." Lilith argued. This time, Lia didn't even say anything. She was still thinking about those last words.

"_You won my heart, Lia."_

Lia… won? She felt her whole face heating up. She sat upright and stood up, trying to forget about her 'rival'. She went near Lilith and peeked into her closet. "Your closet's a mess." Lia commented. Lilith scowled at her. The elder sister just continued on fixing the things she stuck in her closet. Lia's eyes immediately found something interesting in the closet. "Hey… I thought you threw that away." Lia pointed at the bottle inside the closet. The bottle was filled with lots of paper stars. The stars were enveloping a wooden carving. Lilith didn't say a word. She slowly picked up the bottle. Her eyes turned from her lively pale yellow to a sad kind of yellow. Lia sighed. "I'm going back to my room, sis… and about that bottle… I'm sorry I asked." She left Lilith staring at the bottle, memories coming back to her.

* * *

Yelena and Kuroko were walking home. "Hey… why did you text me? I mean, I really didn't do much. I just accompanied you while you were practicing." She asked him curiously. Kuroko's face was being licked by Tetsuya No. 2. He tried to suppress the little puppy, but was failing to do so. "You were supposed to learn from watching." He told her. Yelena felt bad about herself. She was too troubled that she didn't learn anything. First of all, Midorima now knows about her feelings. What if he tells Kuroko? She'll be doomed. Gale was left alone in a place she had no idea of. Yelena felt guilty for leaving her friend, but Gale was insisting her on going to see Kuroko.

She tried contacting Gale, but the girl just didn't reply. Lastly, she was wondering about what happened to Lia, Lilith, and Sakurai. Poor Sakurai. "I'm sorry. I was unfocused." Yelena admitted. Kuroko nodded. "I noticed. Sorry I invited you… I didn't notice the time. It's almost midnight." He told her. Yelena was silently wishing that her uncle wouldn't kill her for going home late. Like Gale, Yelena lived with her uncle, although her parents were both in Russia. "Rena." Kuroko's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Yes?" She answered. "Do you hate me?"

Yelena suddenly stopped walking. She was looking at Kuroko in complete bewilderment. Where did that random question come from? She had no idea, of course. "I don't hate you, Ko-chan! What kind of—"

Yelena suddenly stopped reasoning out when she noticed that Kuroko's eyes showed her pain. "You were scared of me the first time we met." He told her. Yelena flinched at the mention of their first meeting. She was a transfer student back then and she accidentally _sat_ on Kuroko because she didn't see him. Damn awkward. Yelena fainted back then and had to be carried to the clinic. She blushed heavily and hid her face with her scarf. "J-Just because I screamed and fainted, doesn't mean I got scared! I was just really surprised!" She told him.

Kuroko settled Number 2 and the puppy started sniffing on the ground. "Kagami is my light on court." He told her softly. Yelena tilted her head and it seemed like question marks were swirling around her head. "People are only able to notice my passes on court when Kagami catches them." He kept on going about Kagami's light and that entire sort that Yelena did not understand. "And you… I already told you that your light is strong. People only notice me when I'm holding your hand." He suddenly held Yelena's hand. Yelena started shaking at his touch. Her face looked extremely flustered. Kuroko noticed her sweating forehead so he took out a towel from his bag and started wiping the sweat off. "Is it that hot? It's still just the start of summer vacation." Kuroko told her, wondering why she suddenly started sweating.

"Let's go home, Rena." Kuroko started walking ahead of her once more and their hands were once again intertwined. Why does it seem like every time he walks Rena home, their hands _must_, at _all_ times, be intertwined? Yelena bit her lip in shame. "Ko-chan, Kagami can walk me home, you know. It would have been easier to just call him instead of taking me home yourself…" She told him, embarrassed about the attention he was giving her. She wasn't expecting anything since she knew that Kuroko was just really nice to girls. That's all. "I'm worried about what Kagami might say to you. He might make you cry. He can't deal with girls." He told her. Yelena felt the painful throbbing of her heart. Kuroko didn't want Kagami to make her cry?

Yelena noticed that every now and then, Kuroko would squeeze her hand. She was starting to wonder what was up with him. "Rena." He called her again, even though his back was facing her. Yelena gulped at the mention of her name. His voice was so emotionless that she didn't know what he was feeling. "I'm right here." He squeezed her hand yet again. At that moment, Yelena smiled. "I see you, Ko-chan." She told him. Kuroko's grip softened and he still didn't look at her. "I'm glad that you can finally see me…" Even though Yelena couldn't see it, Kuroko was also smiling. His gentle eyes looked so calm. He noticed that Yelena's hand was so small compared to his and he liked it that way. He will not say it out loud, but he liked how his hand brings warmth to hers. "I have a favor to ask of you, Rena."

The brunette felt nervous at his sudden remark. She squeezed his hand, letting him know that she'll be listening. Kuroko looked down at his feet while still walking. "Don't ever lose sight of me." He stated. Yelena suddenly giggled, making Kuroko confused. "I won't lose sight of you, Ko-chan." She promised. Kuroko hesitated in believing her. He bit his lip, thankful that she couldn't see his face. "Do you remember the time when you and Kise met at the restaurant? I was there. You mentioned something about liking Kise-kun. I'm surprised that you're still able to see me even though Kise's fame shadowed over my presence…" He kept on babbling about things that Yelena didn't understand. "It's the same as me being shadowed by Satsuki's beauty." Yelena mumbled to herself.

"Did you say something?" Kuroko asked. "Nothing." Yelena lied, slapping her noisy mouth. They were both thankful that they couldn't see each other's faces. "Anyway, why are you suddenly going on and on about Kise?" Yelena asked. Kuroko wasn't expecting that question, but he still remained calm as he usually was. He suddenly looked back at her. Kuroko's blue hair had a lovely shade under the moonlight and that was the same for his eyes. His pale skin was glowing. Yelena realized that to her, he was far greater than the beautiful man Kise or the absolutely perfect Akashi.

He's not narcissistic. He's not too controlling. He's the man Yelena had always idolized. His ideals were amazing and his calm demeanor never fails to soothe her troubled heart. "Don't you like Kise-kun?" Kuroko blinked innocently. Yelena felt a sweat drop on her forehead. She looked at him weirdly, wondering how many more things he not knows about her. "I'm a fan. Before I met him, that is. He seriously creeped me out the first time we actually interacted with each other." Yelena shuddered at the memory of her being carried bridal-style by someone she just met. "I see…" Kuroko let out a sigh of relief, giving Yelena more question marks surrounding her brain.

They finally reached Yelena's home. They had no intention of letting go of each other's hand, though. It just felt really warm; it was the sweet kind of warmth. "What's it to you, Ko-chan?" She asked, as they both stared at Yelena's house with their hands still intertwined. Kuroko didn't respond. "What's it to you if you knew I liked Kise?" She asked again. Kuroko shook his head. "He's Kise-kun, after all." Kuroko just answered. He didn't give Yelena a straight answer, but she got the hint. "Even if his fame shadows over your presence, making you more invisible, I will never lose sight of you, Ko-chan." She assured him. Kuroko nodded in return and smiled at her. "Thank you."

* * *

"_Hello?"_ Lilith sighed when she heard the voice on the other line. She was sitting on the floor beside her bed with her phone to her ear. "Hi, Sakurai." She said. The voice on the other line didn't respond for a moment. After about 15 seconds, he finally responded again. _"Why'd you call, senpai?"_

Lilith smiled. "Hmm? Nah, I just remembered something you see. The first time I saw a rainbow was when I was three years old. Back then, I was still fascinated of things like that, but when I grew up and found out the real cause for rainbows, I thought it wasn't that amazing at all. It was just a spectrum." She told him. "As for bubbles, those were just air trapped inside a blob of water." She added. "And the northern lights… just a simple reflection of a white light in the sky. White light consists of many different colors and the snow's white color just reflects those colors up in the sky. Beauty is just an illusion, you know." For some reason, Lilith was talking with reason again. After all, she _is_ a genius.

"_That's not true, senpai."_ Sakurai answered. Lilith just blew at her bangs. She stood up from the floor and finally plopped herself down on the bed. She was really exhausted today. _"Even if everything does have a reason, it's not bad to think about what beauty those simple logical things could do, right?_" Sakurai tried to comfort her. Lilith chuckled. At times, she was just thankful that Sakurai was there. Even though all she did these past few days was bully him and force him to do stuff he did not want to do. "Logic is not simple. Reasoning came from logic and I must say, reasons are definitely not simple." She told him. _"But doesn't that explain a lot already? Beauty is made up of things that no one could explain so easily. It's not just in the looks. It's in what makes it beautiful, right?"_ Lilith wondered how Sakurai could hold on, talking to her through the phone normally when he keeps on stuttering when in person.

She felt tears start to form in her eyes although she was still smiling. She was staring at something she was holding with her other hand. _"Just like you. You're complicated, but you're still beautiful."_ She felt like sobbing right now, but she didn't want Sakurai to hear. After all, she considers herself as his 'reliable Big Sis', 'Fake Girlfriend', and 'Senpai'. She will never break down while talking to him. _"Ah! Senpai, I'm sorry! I'm sorry for talking too much! You should be resting now! Sorry if I'm being so dramatic!" _ Sakurai's panicking voice really amused Lilith. "You really are the complete opposite of Hyuuga-darling, huh?" She teased him. _"Ah, well… I'm sorry. He's just really manlier, huh? I know that."_ Lilith wondered why Sakurai's voice suddenly turned sullen. She sighed, not knowing what to do. "Geez, who cares if he's manlier? I can make you the manliest of all men, you know? Just trust in your Big Sis, okay?" Lilith assured him. _"Big… sis? I… I see… Well, good night, senpai."_ She heard him say before hanging up. Lilith was still staring at the bottle in her hand. The paper stars were glowing in the dark and the wooden carving was carefully preserved within the starlight.

"… I'm sorry, Sakurai."


	25. Chapter 25 The Puzzling Truth

Lilith and Sakurai were both walking to somewhere. Lilith has been so depressed lately that Sakurai decided to bring her somewhere to refresh her mind. After all, he wasn't used to Lilith being so gloomy. She wasn't ordering him around ever since that day they stalked horoscopes. Sakurai braced himself and tried to show her that he's a man, after all. He took her hand as they walked, trying to prevent himself from shaking. He bought her ice cream and she just thanked him calmly. The sad part was that Lilith was too depressed to notice his actions. Sakurai thought that a man should always try to do his best to comfort a woman. He cleared his throat and slapped his blushing face with his other hand.

"Senpai… why are you so sad? A-Are you still b-bothered by that rainbow thing?" He regretted asking such a stupid question. Why would Lilith suddenly be depressed because of rainbows? He sighed in disappointment. "No, Sakurai. It's just…" Lilith stopped herself before she could talk. Sakurai is her junior! She's not supposed to show him how depressed she was. She's supposed to be the one to guide him and act as his big sister. "I'm really hungry, you see!" She lied, showing off a goofy grin. Sakurai looked at her. He was really worried since he knew that she was lying. He just didn't want to push her to the limit. "I see. Well… how about going into that restaurant there, senpai? I'll t-treat you! If that's okay… I'm sorry." Sakurai gulped. Lilith's eyes widened and she found herself laughing. "You really don't have to. I mean, you're not supposed to waste money on your senior. I'll pay." She told him.

Sakurai wanted to tell her that as a man, he'll treat her and make her happy, but… he was too nervous to. Besides, Lilith would only yell at him and tell him not to give her orders. She was too proud as a senior to back off. "B-But…" Sakurai tried to persuade her. "No way. I'll get extremely angry at you if you pay!" As he thought, Lilith wouldn't allow him to pay. As they reached the restaurant, Lilith suddenly got a craving for takoyaki. "Um… can you go ahead? Order whatever you want! I'll be back in a jiffy." She told him before leaving him dumbfounded in front of the restaurant.

Lilith found a nearby takoyaki stand not too far away from the restaurant. She stared at the takoyaki stand, realizing that she didn't have smaller bills in her wallet. "… You again?" She heard a familiar voice say. She winced and turned her head slowly. "Y-YOU! What are you doing here?" She pointed her finger at Hyuuga. "Are you stupid? This is the territory of Seirin! What are _you_ doing here?" He jumped back and pointed back at her. "I'm here to, umm…" Lilith stuttered for the first time in front of Hyuuga. She was about to say that she'll buy takoyaki, but she remembered that she couldn't. She looked back into her wallet and sighed.

Hyuuga bit his lip and rubbed the back of his head. It was actually the first time he saw Lilith look so disappointed. He breathed in and out and looked away. "… Ah, damn it! Wait there." He told her. He then went toward the takoyaki stand. Lilith watched him curiously, trying to find out what he's trying to do.

After a while, Hyuuga came back with two takoyaki orders. He handed both to her and Lilith just looked at the two orders in surprise. "There! Now wipe off that frown on your face and just… just enjoy the food, damn it." Hyuuga didn't even look at her face. He was looking elsewhere and sheepishly scratching his head. Lilith was too surprised to even say anything. "Aren't you going to buy one for yourself? You gave me two orders…" She asked. Hyuuga finally looked at her and sighed. "You look like you really wanted to eat takoyaki so just take it." He calmly said.

Lilith looked down at her feet. For some reason, she was shaking. "You're too indifferent…" She murmured. Hyuuga tilted his head. "What?" He asked her. "YOU'RE TOO INDIFFERENT! MORON!" Lilith suddenly yelled and quickly popped a takoyaki into her mouth. Suddenly, her eyes were filled with tears and she was blowing off steam from her mouth. "HOT! HOT! HOT!" She complained. Her other hand was shaking Hyuuga's collar out of panic. "Let go! Y-You idiot!" Hyuuga quickly got out a bottle of water from his bag and gave it to her. Lilith snatched the bottle from his hands and started drinking. Suddenly, she started coughing. "… Just how much of a klutz can you be?" Hyuuga massaged his temples before fently rubbing Lilith's back. "You ate a whole takoyaki while it's still hot. What do you expect, idiot? You drank water continuously without breathing, what are you trying to do? Kill yourself?" Hyuuga scolded her.

The blonde glared at him. "Why do you care? You call yourself the captain of Seirin when you don't even know how to treat a wo—" She suddenly cut herself off after realizing that he _was_ actually treating her well today. "Ungrateful woman…" Hyuuga hissed at her. "I'm sorry." Lilith told him. Hyuuga was taken aback, unable to believe what he had just heard. "Huh?" He asked again as if he was in a dream or some fantasy. Lilith suddenly punched his chest. He winced at the pain and glared at her. "I said I'm sorry! Geez, you enjoy embarrassing me, huh? And… thanks for the treat." She repeated, looking away and blushing. The great Lilith was actually apologizing. Miracles can happen.

Hyuuga cleared his throat and turned his back toward her. "Don't mention it." He then started walking away. Lilith watched him and she realized that his back was big and that he was a really tall guy. "He should at least try to be sweeter." She mumbled to herself, not knowing that someone was watching them from the shadows.

Sakurai clenched his fists as he watched the scene in front of him. He then quickly ran back to the restaurant, scared that Lilith might scream at him if she finds him spying on her.

"How come she let him treat her when she never lets me do the same?" He asked himself.

* * *

Lia was staring at her phone blankly. It seemed like she was waiting for a text message even though she had nothing to wait for. She dialed a number and pressed the call key, silently hoping that someone would answer. _"Hello?"_ The voice from the other line answered. Lia felt her whole soul rise up as soon as someone answered. She jumped up and down and started flailing her arms. "Rena! Any news?" She asked.

"_I haven't seen Gale for days… ever since we…"_

"You mean there's still no luck in trying to contact her?"

"_Her phone cannot be reached…"_

"… Damn it, Rena…"

Lia then hung up. She slumped in her seat and started sulking. She was staring at a Chemistry book she kept on her desk, wondering why she hated the subject she studies the most. She then dialed another number, wishing that someone would at least try to help her. She was desperate. She heard a click from the other line and she felt her heart skip a beat. "A-A-Akashi! I'm so s-sorry I bothered you, I just, well, you know… umm…" She started stuttering and panicking.

"_**You won my heart, Lia."**_

She suddenly screamed and hung up. She was now seriously thrashing all over her room. She heard her phone ringing and she checked to see who was calling. It was Akashi. She screamed again and flipped her drafting table over. She pulled her hair and started kicking random stuff on the floor. She then grabbed her phone and answered. "Ah, yes, Akashi?" She calmly said. _"Do you need anything?"_ As soon as she heard his voice, she hung up again and went berserk once more. She was almost close to destroying her own room. "CRAP! What the hell's wrong with me? No! No! He's just tricking me into falling into his trap! No! No! Agh! Die, Akashi! Die, die, die!" She started stabbing random things with her pencil. She heard her phone ringing again and it took her all her courage to answer it. "Sorry about that. I accidentally hit the cancel button." She lied.

"_I see."_ Akashi gently answered. "Um… you see… my friend's been missing for days or so we thought. We just can't contact her… do you think you can help me? I mean, your training camp is near the area where we parted ways…" Lia was trying to punch her own heart from beating too fast. Akashi took long to respond. _"I'll see what I can do."_ He told her. Lia felt her heart sink. Why was he pretending that nothing happened back then in the training camp? Did he forget his words?

"… Thank you." Lia said before hanging up. She was back to sulking again. "Stupid Gale… not contacting us and making us worry and all her stupid shit…" She suddenly started complaining. "Stupid Akashi… giving me the greatest shock in my life and suddenly reverting back to his old, serious self…" She kept on mumbling to herself.

* * *

It became normal for them to walk hand-in-hand. Yelena doesn't feel so scared of men anymore, thanks to the very man she admired. "Don't look at me like that." Kuroko suddenly said and Yelena realized that she was already staring at him. She blushed and looked away. "I am sorry." She felt his hand squeeze hers. They finally reached the Seirin gym and the others were already practicing inside. Kuroko let go of Yelena's hand to drop his bag and let Tetsuya Number 2 out. The puppy barked in gratitude.

Yelena found a basketball on the floor and picked it up. She noticed how big it was and how she won't be able to play well with her small stature and small hands. "Ah, Rena. You wanna shoot?" Kagami suddenly asked her as he was wiping a towel over his head. Yelena nodded, even though she looked like she was about to cry after thinking about how useless she was in sports. Kagami then went behind her and supported her hands around the ball. "It's like this." He took the ball from her hands and dribbled across the court, dunking it in the basket. "See? That's how you shoot!" Kagami yelled. "IDIOT!" Hyuuga hit him on the head. "How do you expect her to do the same, you moron?" The Seirin captain scolded him. "Ah, I think she can do it. She'll just have to drink milk." Kiyoshi's statement was completely useless.

Riko sighed at the rowdy sight. She then spotted Kuroko walking toward Yelena and putting his varsity jacket on her shoulders. She saw how Kuroko smiled gently at the Russian girl and Yelena smiled back. "… That's odd… how did I notice him? His presence…" Riko thought to herself, wondering how in the world did she see Kuroko at the corner of her eye so easily even though he had little presence. "Yelena… did she give him light?"


	26. Chapter 26 My Heart's Three-Pointer

The first time he saw her, he was really scared of her. The next thing he knew was that he was slowly falling in love with her. Badly.

He watched her eat up the takoyaki that Hyuuga gave her. He felt something pierce through his tender heart but he didn't show any emotion in his face. She looked up at him and grinned like the dense person she was. "What's wrong, Sakurai? Eat up! I spent my allowance just to treat you so you better eat it all up! Basketball players need their strength." She told him while pointing at his plate. "I'm sorry!" He bowed down his head and hesitatingly ate the food she treated him. It should have been him who treated her…

Lilith was eating up her food with pure bliss. Her bliss over Hyuuga's unexpected actions was equal to the bitterness Sakurai had. With each bite, he tasted nothing but a bittersweet piece of chunk. "Why did you buy two orders?" His voice suddenly changed and Lilith's eyes widened. "Wow, you can be real manly at times, too! Umm… a friend bought this for me, you see." Sakurai didn't even want to look at her face anymore when she suddenly blushed. A friend? Since when did Lilith refer to Hyuuga as 'a friend'? Why didn't she just tell Sakurai straight out that it was Hyuuga who bought that for her?

"You're blushing, senpai." He said. Lilith's blush deepened and she tried to hide her face by looking down. "Don't be silly, Sakurai! Are you trying to defy me?" She threatened and smirked at him. Sakurai suddenly grimaced and backed away on his chair. "N-no! I just… I'm sorry!" He apologized again. Lilith narrowed her eyes and she crossed her arms against her large chest. "You're improving, Sakurai. Right before my very eyes, I can see that you're trying to be manlier." She nodded to herself. Sakurai blushed at her compliment and smiled shyly. "I do it f-for you, s-senpai." He nervously told her. Upon hearing his words, Lilith's smirk got rubbed off her face.

"_I do it for you, Lilith."_

A voice echoed in her mind and she started shaking. Sakurai noticed her change in expression and got worried. "I'm sorry!" He apologized again, thinking that it was his fault. He must have said something terrible, he thought. Lilith shook her head and smiled at him. "Look… if you want to be manlier, don't do it for me. Do it for yourself. It'll help you more than it will to me." She advised him. Sakurai's heart almost broke into pieces when she said that. She made it seem like all his efforts to treat her like how women should be treated were all futile. He wanted to see her smile and be proud of him as her 'boyfriend', not as some junior she decided to teach.

Sakurai nodded. He didn't want to defy her, but he didn't want to get hurt either. "I-if that's what makes you happy… I'll do it." He told her. Lilith let out a sigh in relief. "I'm so glad I met you, Sakurai. I don't really interact with men much after…" Her voice trailed off and she suddenly remembered her past. She bit her lip. Sakurai watched intently as she tried her best to hide the truth from him. "You can tell me, senpai." He wanted so badly for her to trust him as her equal. He wanted her to see him in a different light somehow, but that was close to impossible. She shook her head and laughed. "I'm just glad you're not like other guys." Her answer did not even satisfy Sakurai.

Why can't she show him her soft side? Why does she keep on dragging him everywhere if she was just teaching him things? Why does she always act so tough and strong? Sakurai wanted to see her soft side as how she showed it to Hyuuga. A young, innocent girl who says 'thank you' and 'sorry' like the others. All she showed him was her bossy side and her wildness. That didn't stop him from falling for her, though. "Sakurai. Umm… I'm sorry… but, can I go somewhere? I just need to do something…" Lilith stood up and left him all alone on the table.

She always keeps leaving him.

* * *

This time, he wasn't with Takao. He was all alone shooting balls into hoops. He was already a prodigy, but he still works hard. He heard someone step into the gym, but he didn't bother to look. "You're finally here, Takao." He greeted, not knowing that it wasn't Takao who entered the gym. "I'm not Kazunari Takao." Midorima stopped shooting when he heard a voice of a girl. He fixed his glasses and turned around, coming face-to-face with none other than the girl who tried to make a huge mess in the Shutoku gym just a few days ago. "What do you want, Pisces?" Midorima asked, not knowing what her real name was.

The girl frowned. "My name is Lilith and I am older than you so treat me well." She explained. Midorima blinked his eyes, unable to believe what he had just heard. "A Pisces woman and a Cancer man are the most compatible, but I can't see how." He didn't really see Lilith in a good way, especially when he first met her. "Technically, horoscopes don't really determine your fate. You mold your own future." She countered back, trying to win him over with knowledge. Midorima felt as if she was challenging him. "They determine luck. And luck determines fate. Basically, horoscopes _do_ determine fate." He argued back. "Then can you explain why we are arguing with each other over a silly topic when the horoscope says that we are compatible, Cancer?" Lilith had a perfectly smug look on her face. "That is because compatibility is not just in the horoscope… it's in the way you live, Pisces." Midorima answered.

Suddenly, Lilith started laughing. Midorima was starting to wonder why she came here again. Did she come here just to argue with him? It was true that Midorima's type of girl is one who is older than him and one with a sign compatibility with a Cancer. Why does it seem like Midorima's starting to dislike the girl he was supposed to like? He wanted to doubt the horoscope, but he decided that it's Lilith whom he should really doubt. "I have a purpose for coming here. Is Pisces compatible with Virgo?" She asked. Midorima only knew one Virgo and that was Aomine. Is he her type of man? If so, then she's also Aomine's type of girl – one with a large asset.

He remained emotionless as they stared at each other. "Yes, only lower in rank than a Pisces and Cancer and the Pisces and Capricorn pairings." He answered her, studying her every reaction. Midorima felt at ease when he saw her smile, but he was still annoyed. Did she come here just to ask him for some matchmaking help? He knew that he would have to say 'no', if it comes to those terms. "How about a Pisces and Taurus?" She asked again. "They're not compatible, but they're not incompatible either." Midorima simply explained.

Suddenly, Lilith sighed. She went toward the nearest bench and sat on it. Her face looked troubled and Midorima still had no idea why she was here. "I don't get horoscopes. I tried searching for scientific answers about the chemical our body produces when we fall in love, but I failed in getting a result. The next thing I knew, I'm already here right in front of you and asking you about the horoscope. How desperate can I be?" She rested her elbows on her knees and her face on her palms. Midorima just stared at her.

He was sure she was trying to tell him something, but he wasn't sure about the reason. This was the first time they even talked properly. Is she some crazy woman who just goes around telling random strangers about her problems? Midorima thought that she was one interesting Pisces. "If I and Sakurai are compatible… and Hyuuga and I are 'in the middle'… how come I developed a teensy crush on that bastardized captain of Seirin instead of crushing on Sakurai, instead?" She asked. Midorima hated looking like he didn't know what he was saying or even hearing so he just stood still, not wanting to look clueless by tilting his head or asking anything. "I thought you could help me find answers, Midorima. Combining my research and your horoscope knowledge… geez, it's too troublesome. That stupid captain… whenever we see each other, we just fight, and who knew that those stupid fights can also be a step towards _this_? Sakurai, on the other hand, grants my every wish willingly. I feel so terrible…" She kept on babbling. Midorima fixed his eyeglasses and walked toward her. "I get it." He told her. Lilith's face brightened up.

"You feel me?" She asked. Midorima sat down beside her on the bench, wiping of his sweat with a towel. "People's relationships grow and evolve in each encounter. Even though you fight, it is still a fragment in your life of being with that person. Don't fret over silly reasoning." He told her, acting like he really knows what he's saying although he, himself, didn't know a thing about love and crushes. "It's not love, Midorima. I am… not capable of loving anyone." She admitted. Her hands balled into fists and she looked down in shame. "You are human. What you're saying is impossible." Midorima replied.

Lilith felt her tears streaming down her face. She took something out of her bag – it was the bottle with paper stars inside and a wooden carving. "My heart vanished a long time ago. It was taken and broken by someone. He didn't return it. How cruel. All he left me was this stupid bottle I couldn't throw away." She told him. Midorima grabbed the bottle from her hands and stared at it with wide eyes. "This is… today's lucky item! Paper stars! I didn't know how to make one, so I only brought a Christmas star." Midorima picked up something on the floor and showed Lilith the Christmas star he had.

Midorima was stunned when he saw Lilith laugh while she was still crying. "You still believe in horoscopes." She said. He wondered if she was trying to make him _not_ believe anymore, and if so, then he knew that her mission would be impossible to complete. He didn't want to involve himself further, but if he was the only one she chose to talk to even though he was a complete stranger, there has got to be a reason for that. He recalled about today's horoscope and he knew that this was it.

"_Cancer: Your luck will be brought to you by someone unexpected who will tell you something that he or she has not told anyone yet. Listen to that person well and if you manage to get in good terms with that person, consider yourself lucky for the rest of the day."_

He decided to ask, anyway. "What's his name?" Lilith dreaded that question. To think that it was Midorima who asked her, even though this was only the second time they met. She bit her lip and prevented herself from sobbing.

"His name is Ryo. He has the same first name as Sakurai."

* * *

Hyuuga was in a daze. He couldn't make at least one of his shots today and it made him think that practicing now would be pointless. He was sitting beside Yelena on the bench, not knowing that his dark presence was making her scared. "… She smiled." Hyuuga said for the fourteenth time and Yelena had no idea who he was talking about. Suddenly, Hyuuga looked at her. She started shaking, wondering if he knew that she was silently wishing that he would disappear.

"If a girl you always fight with smiles at you… what does that mean?" Hyuuga asked. Yelena felt all her fear go down the drain when she heard his random question. As far as Yelena knows, it was only Lilith whom he always fought with. "Umm… some girls choose to pretend to fight with their crush just so they could hide their real feelings, so, umm… maybe that's that, but I'm not sure." She answered. Hyuuga didn't know whether she was serious about her answer, but she was a girl, so he should just trust her. Then again, why would Lilith like Hyuuga in the first place? He thought that it would be darn impossible.

What does he care about that Xelestine girl, anyway? She's just someone he saved from a speeding car. She even tried to kill him even though she knew that he saved her. Hyuuga didn't know how such a woman existed. Then again, why _was_ he thinking about her, anyway?

He started slapping his own face and Yelena was now getting really creeped out by his scary facial expressions and actions. She scooted away, careful not to let him see that she was clearly disturbed by his presence. "THERE'S NOTHING WORTH THINKING ABOUT THAT PSYCHOTIC WOMAN!" He suddenly yelled, making Yelena scream in panic. Hyuuga finally noticed her and he knew that either Kuroko or Kagami would kill him if he made her cry. Specifically, Kuroko. Somehow, there was something between those two that Hyuuga could tell but at the same time, couldn't tell. "Sorry." He massaged his temples, trying to keep his cool.

Now what? Is he going to spend the entire day thinking about her smile? He tried hard not to think about her _asset_, though. Although this time, the power of her first smile towards him was even more powerful than the thought of her _asset_. He just can't—

"DAMN IT! I'M GOING TO SHOOT 50 THREE-POINTERS TODAY!" He yelled again and got hit by Riko on the head. "If you're going to do it, THEN DO IT! Don't just sit there and scare Yelena!" She scolded him.

* * *

_[From: Sakurai]_

_Ah. I'm at the Touou gym now, senpai. I'm practicing my three-point shots._

Lilith stared blankly at her phone. After a long conversation with Midorima, she was now watching him shoot balls into the hoop again with his super-long three-point shots. There was one thing she noticed about the three main guys she could interact with. "They're all three-point shooting guards…"


	27. Chapter 27 Ko-chan

Kuroko paced back and forth. He was in a street basketball court, yet he wasn't even practicing. He stared at the basketball in his hands and raised it up in the air to shoot. As usual, it was a miss. Kuroko's eyes followed the ball as it continued rolling until it hit someone's feet. Startled, Kuroko's eyes went from the person's feet to her pretty face. "Tetsu-kun!" It was Momoi – the girl who fell in love with him just because of a silly Popsicle stick. Kuroko thought that it was such a shallow reason to "fall in love" and he didn't really consider her love as "love". In fact, they both knew that it's one-sided. He didn't really want to make a girl cry, so he just kept that to himself.

She picked up the ball and ran towards him. "Here you go, Tetsu-kun! You work so hard every day! Geez, I wonder if Aomine would ever do the same…" She pouted. As soon as Kuroko took the ball from her hands, he was expecting her to squeeze him into a hug like what she always does. "I missed you, Tetsu-kun!" She _did _hug him and Kuroko showed no reaction on his face at all. "Nice to see you again, Momoi-san." He politely greeted. Momoi let go and sighed. Kuroko backed away, examining her face for a short while.

Confirmed. Yelena _is _prettier. Not like he would ever say that out loud. He'll make Yelena blush and cry in embarrassment and he'll make Momoi _just_ cry. Either way, he will make _both_ of them cry.

It's not just because Yelena is a Russian girl with unique facial features, but because she has her own unique beauty that adds up to her lovely personality. Even though, she's Russian, she still looks like a small, cute little Japanese doll, anyway. "Tetsu-kun, I heard you're always with Rena-chan now. Aw, don't replace me, okay?" Momoi winked at him. This is getting too normal. Kuroko didn't nod nor shake his head. He just faced the basketball hoop and dribbled the ball as if he heard something that was completely normal for him to hear. He cares about Momoi and treats her well, but… that's just because she's a _girly girl_, unlike their coach, Aida Riko. Kuroko still treats Riko well, but his respect for her as his coach is far greater than his gentlemanliness towards her.

He didn't notice that Momoi was already staring at him, teary-eyed. "… Why didn't you respond, Tetsu-kun…" she started sobbing. Kuroko looked at her softly and placed his hand on her head. "No one can replace you, Momoi-san." He smiled at her. Momoi's tears magically disappeared. Was she faking them to catch his attention? Girls nowadays. "That's why I love you, Tetsu-kun!" She was about to hug him again, when Kuroko suddenly made himself clear. "No one can replace you as one of my good friends, Momoi-san."

That crushed her heart. But it's okay. She knows it's one-sided, anyway.

She smiled sadly as she watched him try to shoot the ball into the hoop and fail. "… I guess if you love someone, you really should let him go…" She whispered to herself. "But because I love you, I have to fight tooth and nail to be with you…" Her expression transformed from a sad one to a determined look. As soon as the ball bounced on the court, she chased it and held it firmly with her two hands. Kuroko was surprised to see her attack the ball aggressively and he was even more surprised to see her face look so strong. "I won't lose to Rena, Tetsu-kun!" She declared.

Kuroko was pretty sure that she already noticed his subtle actions. He went toward her and took the basketball gently from her hands. "I know." He told her. Momoi couldn't believe that he was still trying to act all emotionless. She's loved him for as long as she can remember. She just didn't understand why he doesn't drool over her unlike the other guys. She could get any guy she wants… why did she even have to fall in love with a different one? The stupid thing was that she fell in love because of a Popsicle stick. Who in their right mind would fall in love just because of a stick?

"Don't make her cry." Kuroko suddenly blurted out. This surprised Momoi. She opened her mouth to say something, but ended up closing it again. "I'm trying my best to treat the both of you well, Momoi-san. She's not doing anything to make you miserable so there's no reason for you to compete with her. There is no guarantee about what she's feeling for me. Please don't jump into conclusions." This was the first time Kuroko has actually let his real feelings towards Momoi all out. "You're right, Tetsu-kun… I must be really, deeply in love with you now." She giggled girlishly, not noticing that Kuroko was already packing his things into his bag. "I see." He reservedly said before taking his leave.

When Momoi was about to hug him again, he disappeared.

* * *

Kuroko already had his answer but he just couldn't bring himself to tell anyone. He knew he would break a heart and he also knew that he wasn't that worth loving. He was plain, aside from his misdirection, he's a normal person. His grades are average. His appearance is normal. He doesn't even look like a basketball player. He's just someone you see every day walking on the streets. Maybe if there was someone who loved him as he is, then he would be sure of his answer. Momoi had the Popsicle stick incident to blame. Who knows how many times that stupid Popsicle stick has been mentioned in this chapter.

He still wasn't sure how Rena feels. It was obvious, but it was not. Her frequent blushing and sweetness can really fool a man into thinking that she likes him when in fact, that's her natural personality. Unless you're a bastard who harasses women or a perverted old man, she won't murder you.

"Ko-chan?" He heard a familiar, small voice call his name. That nickname was familiar, too. He turned around and saw the girl he was still puzzled about. He was actually amazed when she greeted him first – she could really see him now. "Hello." He greeted her. Yelena let her hair down today – it wasn't in its usual braid and Kuroko liked how her caramel brown hair brushes against her face. Her hair was just past the shoulders. It wasn't as short as Gale's nor was it as long as Lia's. Her hair was just right. "Ah, that's right! Your house is this way, right? I'm here to find Gale, but… I guess there's no real reason for her to come here." She sighed. Kuroko heard all about it.

He felt guilty for calling Yelena at that day. If he didn't try to contact her, she would still be with Gale and the aurora-haired girl wouldn't disappear. A part of him felt responsible for the event. "… I'm sorry." He softly told her. Yelena looked at him and smiled. Her smile really did have the power to lift his worries from his shoulders. Her smile was the light he needed when he's not playing basketball. Her light was even more powerful than anyone's. "It's not your fault, Ko-chan. You didn't know that she was with me, anyway. Plus, she would have really wanted for me to stay with you because she's positive that…" Yelena suddenly blushed. Here she goes again with her frequent embarrassments. Kuroko just wished she would try being more honest with herself.

He wanted to hear her honest words even if it was just for once. He really wished he could ask her all about it, but he wasn't that type to force people into telling him all their troubles. He respects privacy. "… She's positive that I won't abandon you, right?" He asked, startling Yelena. Her whole face turned red and she covered her cheeks with her palms. "A-ah, well, that's because Kise abandoned her while he was walking her home and she knows that you're absolutely not going to do the same!" She laughed nervously, trying to change the subject.

Kuroko didn't want to embarrass her further. He nodded. "Kise-kun probably had a good reason for doing that to her." He explained. "He didn't have to leave her! What if someone attacked her back then? At that moment, Kise offered to walk her home but he just left her in the middle of a dark street! The nerve!" Yelena looked really pissed and angry, although her gentle face didn't really show much. Kuroko was actually glad that she was now starting to show him more of her other emotions, but he wouldn't say that now. They were in a different topic. It would be weird to suddenly comment about her randomly. He touched her cheek and she flinched at the sudden contact. "Do you want to go somewhere to calm yourself down?" He asked her. Yelena was still going crazy inside due to his hand touching her cheek so gently that it took her a long time to respond. "Um, well… I, uhh… sure…"

Kuroko then took her hand into his. He didn't really show much emotion, but he liked the warmth.

He brought her to a simple restaurant. He's not like Kise who preferred cafes. He's not like Akashi who had a bias over luxurious dining halls. Kuroko was a simple guy and he was happy about that. "What do you want to eat?" He asked as Yelena shyly browsed through the menu. She shook her head and composed herself. "… I'll try to act naturally around you now, Ko-chan!" She announced proudly. She was blushing heavily, but Kuroko knows how much she's trying. It's as if she could read his mind. He was secretly happy. "I want a basket of mojos! And lots of pasta! Lots and lots of pasta, Ko-chan! Oh, and some extra gravy! No, wait… I don't like gravy. Okay, then a bowl of mashed potatoes!" Although she was trying to demand, she was shaking terribly.

Kuroko let out a soft "pfft" coming out from his mouth. "D-Don't laugh!" Yelena complained. Kuroko looked at her again, his face now emotionless. He couldn't help but smile at her actions. "You're a happy person, Rena." He told her. Yelena looked down and bit her lip. "It's not funny, Ko-chan!" She kept on complaining. Kuroko knew that she was just trying to show him the real her…

No matter whom she really was, he would still—it's too early to say it.

He leaned in and gently gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. "It's okay, Rena."


	28. Chapter 28 I Am Never Wrong

Akashi was gazing outside the window for who knows what reason. He invited Lia to come back to their training camp and now here she was, cutting threads and sewing things beside him. "U-um, Akashi." He turned his head toward Lia not minding the three-inch gap between their faces. "ACK! Don't do that so casually!" Lia suddenly pushed his head away and Akashi almost fell from the windowsill. He maintained his balance quickly and looked at Lia again, only this time, their faces were not so close anymore. Lia gulped and Akashi knew that she realized what she had just done. Of course, he wouldn't let her off without a punishment. "Hand over my scissors, Lia." He commanded.

As expected, Lia jumped away. Akashi could already read her so well already despite the few meetings they had. It didn't take long for him to get so soft around her. He just really feels bothered whenever she gets scared of him. He wouldn't really hurt her… unless she disobeys him. Knowing her, he knew that she would _always_ disobey his important orders and follow the not-so-important ones such as 'face me', 'open your eyes', and 'take my hand'. Like, for example… this.

"Take my hand, Lia." He held out his hand towards her. Lia blushed heavily and started slapping her own face. After the weird actions, she placed her own hand in his. _Bingo_. Akashi is never wrong. As for an example of an important order, 'play shogi with me' would be his best bet. It was a game that could easily hone Lia's critical thinking skills and she keeps on refusing to play with him again. This is a short demonstration. "Let's play shogi, Lia."

Lia suddenly withdrew her hand and jumped farther away from him. "No!" She pouted like a little kid. "I'm not going to return your scissors if you force me to play that game again!" She backed away slowly; obviously afraid of what he might do to her. "Are you disobeying me?" He sternly asked. Lia was already shaking. "Lia…" Akashi stood up and walked toward her. Lia couldn't even move from her spot anymore. Akashi is never wrong. He knew that Lia would definitely refuse. It was a game she couldn't win against him, after all. He held out his hand again, making Lia flinch. "My scissors, Lia."

The poor girl's face turned as white as her hair. She shook her head and stuck her tongue out at him. Since when did she start acting childishly around him? Akashi knew that it may be because he had already admitted that she won him over. After all, she was this type of girl – a very strange one, indeed. Akashi was still pondering over her hair. Did she bleach her hair? Or did she just dye it white? Why does her hair have a blue hue, despite being white? Weird.

Akashi didn't say anything anymore. His hand went closer and reached out into her pocket. Lia suddenly started flailing her arms at his movement. As he took out his hand from the pocket of her pants, he was already holding his scissors. He pointed his scissors at Lia, snipping at the air around her neck. She swallowed her saliva but she was still nervous. She closed her eyes, so she was unable to see Akashi sigh in dismay. His distraught face actually looked cute, but too bad that Lia had to close her eyes. He put back the scissors in his pocket and decided to try out a new 'order'. No, he wasn't playing with Lia. She's not his dog. She's his winner. He was just trying to win her heart as what she had done to him in just a short time.

He opened his arms and for the first time in forever, Akashi felt awkward. "… Come hug me?" He sounded more like he was pleading than ordering. Lia opened her eyes and almost screamed at the top of her lungs due to over-ecstasy. "H-hey! Are you really Akashi? You're starting to sound weird!" Akashi tried hard not to stab her with the scissors. He's actually trying not to hurt her that he's going as far as to act stupidly in front of her. "Don't disobey me, Lia." He firmly said. He was actually really amused at how Lia reacted towards his super awkward request.

One, he wanted to see how small she was compared to him; Two, he just really wanted to see her flustered; Three, he's trying to try out new orders; Four, he didn't actually expect that order to come out of his mouth. Lia slowly walked toward him, cautiously placing her arms across her chest. As she finally reached him, Akashi embraced her. Surprisingly, he was tall compared to Lia who was only 153cm in height. Her hair smelled like chamomile. She felt so fragile as he held her in his arms. He ran his fingers through her hair, until—

"… Ah. Wash your hair, Lia." He suddenly said. Lia jolted out of her trance as soon as she heard his words. She pushed him away and jumped up and down, flailing her hand at him. "I-I do wash my hair!" She defended. Akashi smirked at her funny reaction. "… Really? That's why it's tangled." He sarcastically said, suddenly turning away and looking outside the window again, leaving her in embarrassment. "The ends of my hair are curly, you know!" Lia stomped towards him and grabbed his arm. The action made Akashi draw out his scissors in reflex. "W-watch where you're pointing that thing!" Lia reacted again when he pointed the scissors at her. Akashi blinked twice as if he didn't really expect that she would grab his arm.

Lia snatched the scissors from his hand. "… Don't defy me, Lia." He told her. "I'm borrowing this." She simply told him before quickly running out the door and slamming it shut. Akashi stared at the door, wondering where she got the guts to suddenly confiscate his scissors. Akashi could have dodged – he could predict her movements with his Emperor's Eye, but he just chose to let her think that she's more superior at least for once. He opened the door once more. The villa they've been staying at had a noisy silence shrouding its interiors.

He went down the stairs calmly and went out the villa. The cool summer air greeted him and he closed his eyes to breathe in. "Sei-chan!" He heard the voice of one of his team mates. He opened his eyes and regained his composure. He saw his team mate carrying someone on his back. "Sei-chan, I saw this girl on my way to the village. She said she escaped from the hospital and didn't want to go back. Then she collapsed." His team mate went inside the villa. Akashi followed him back to the bedroom until the girl he was carrying was finally on the bed. Akashi remembered how he saved Lia back then. It was the same scenario. "I see. You may go now. I'll see what I can do." Akashi ordered his team mate to leave. Without question, said team mate gladly left with a smile. "I'll leave this to you."

* * *

Akashi stared at the young girl, examining her carefully. "I see. I found you." He mumbled and went towards her sleeping body to touch her forehead with his fingertips. "She'll wake up." He said as if he was so sure that she will. In fact, she did. Akashi is never wrong and he knew that quite well. He should really stop emphasizing the fact that he is never wrong or the readers will get pissed at his pride.

He could tell that her eyes were adjusting from the brightness of her surroundings. She turned her head to the side and saw Akashi. Her eyes widened and she let out an ear-piercing scream. "W-W-Who—wait, no… you're Akashi! Akashi Seijuro! Why are you here? Wait, where am I?" She was panicking and sweating heavily. "You don't have to be afraid. I will bring you back home." Akashi promised. It's not like he had a choice. He didn't come in this training camp to babysit unconscious girls – Lia and this girl. Lia was already a handful and this girl looked _more_ of a handful. "What is your name?" He demanded. "…G-Galanthus."

He suddenly smirked, scaring Gale out of her wits. She backed away slowly at the edge of the bed, wary of his actions. "I see." He nodded. Gale clutched her neck, realizing that it was bandaged. "… I got hit by a car. I didn't even know who brought me to the hospital." She admitted. Akashi stared at her intently. He knew that she would start talking any minute now. "After seeing Ryouta act so darn sweet with a fan of his, ugh, what a jerk…" Akashi also knew that she would start babbling about her problems.

Maybe it was time he talk some sense into her. "Kise Ryouta is a popular man. You can't keep him all to yourself and you can't stop other girls from liking him, Galanthus. Ryouta doesn't like girls who tie him down and you seem to be one." He coldly explained. Gale's eyes started getting watery and she gritted her teeth. "I know that!" She answered back. Akashi sat beside her on the bed and she just ended up becoming more suspicious of him. "Don't call him 'Ryouta' anymore. He's not yours to keep."

Gale's eyes widened at his words. Akashi just wanted to make her 'feel'. He did not have any bad intentions of breaking her heart. Akashi knew that she was taking too long to realize the change in her feelings. She was too numb and dense to know it herself. The only way to make her realize her real feelings is to break her heart. Akashi was just doing her a favor. She's still Lia's friend, after all. "… I won't anymore." She stood up from the bed and bowed down politely. "Thank you. I'll be going home now. Who knows how long I slept in that hospital."

As she left the room, Akashi's smirk grew wider. "You'll realize."


	29. Chapter 29 I'm Your Ryouta, right?

_Damn it… the things I do for you…_

Kise was in the restaurant and was staring at the box of chocolates set in front of him. He chuckled nervously, blushing. There was a certain silver-haired angel in front of him, smiling at him and trying her best to look cute in front of him. Kise, on the other hand, was blushing while staring at the _chocolates_, not at the girl. He was blushing because he was embarrassed to ask her for a favor. After all, she _is_ his fan. He looked at each piece one-by-one and grinned at her proudly. "Umm… I'm sorry, Kise-kun… I didn't know how to spell her name so I just spelled the word 'Snowdrop' in each piece…" The young girl said.

Kise shook his head. "It's alright. She'll like it. Sorry for the bother…" He was still embarrassed due to the fact that she thought that he was going to ask her on a date. He felt like he was using his fans' support just to help him make _her_ smile. "It's okay, Kise-kun. As a fan, I will try to do whatever you want me to do. I'll support you in any way I can." The girl smiled at him, showing off her perfect smile. Kise liked her smile, but nothing can compare to _that girl_'s rare smile. "Thank you." He stood up and took the box of chocolates. He bowed down and left the restaurant. As he walked along the road, he put the box carefully in his bag and sighed to himself. "I break other fans' hearts just for you. Geez, all these things I do for you…" He muttered under his breath.

Somehow, he just really wanted to make up with her. After all, he _did_ leave her to walk home all by herself the last time. Somehow, he couldn't take off the guilt from his head. He texted her countless times and she didn't answer. "You're such a cruel girl… so 'silent treatment's' your thing, huh…" He kept on complaining, even though he knew that he was actually willing to do so. Why did he even go as far as to do this, anyway?

He checked his phone and there was one message from Kasamatsu.

_[From: Kasamatsu-senpai]_

_WHERE ARE YOU, YOU MORON? PRACTICE IS GOING TO START AND WE'RE GOING TO NEED YOU HERE TODAY!_

Kise decided to turn off his phone. "Even going as far as skipping practice… all these things I do for that girl who hates me…" He was starting to wonder if he was a masochist. He knew she hated him with all her heart and yet, he keeps on doing all these things. He always wanted to walk her home every day after school just so she wouldn't wander off and get lost. He always liked hearing her call him by his first name. He liked how she would smile one time then gets angry the next. All those stupid things she does and all the abuse she gives him. All the headlocks he puts her in were just priceless.

"Damn it, you…" He ran his hand through his hair and sighed for the fifth time. "The heck is wrong with that woman? She didn't even call me." He then slapped himself for thinking about her actually calling him. She's not his girlfriend! Why would she call him? He bit his lip and accidentally bit his tongue in the process. He yelped and smacked his own forehead due to his clumsiness. "AGGGGH! Get out of my mind, you tomboy!" He yelled, making some of the passersby stare at him. Some were even avoiding him. He's handsome, but he's weird. He was also walking fast as if he couldn't see the smaller people who were almost bumping into him. He was about 6 feet in height, after all.

He _did_ bump into someone. In fact, that _someone_ just proved that this was a small world, indeed. "Ah, sorry." Kise apologized. He was looking _way_ down below only to find a short girl who stands only 153cm in height. "… Kisecchi?" The white-haired girl blinked at him. Instead of greeting her back, he wondered about the strange nickname. It felt like the 'cchi' nicknames he gave to those he acknowledge were being thrown back at him. "You are… Lia, right?" He asked innocently, smiling like an idiot at her. He never thought he could actually tower over a girl with his height. Lia smiled and nodded cheerfully. "You know me! What a surprise… did Gale tell you?"

There goes that name again. Kise smacked his face and started messing his own hair, making Lia stare at him like he was a real idiot. "… Speaking of that woman, I haven't been able to contact her for days." He smacked his face again. His face was starting to hurt, but he didn't really mind. He felt like copying a masochist today. He got even more disturbed when he saw Lia's expression change. She opened her mouth and closed it again. She looked down at her feet. Kise found this scene really disturbing. His face darkened and his eyes narrowed. "… How is she?" He asked. Lia shook her head and sighed. "My sister, Lilith… has been taking full responsibility ever since she invited us to Shutoku. Gale has been missing for days, Kisecchi. Her family is blaming my sister…"

Kise felt his blood boil. He clenched his teeth and his hands balled into a fist. "… Was she alone?" He asked again. Lia nodded. This time Kise punched the brick wall beside him. He shook his hands and yelped. "Ow. That hurt." He complained while tears were forming in his eyes. Lia gaped at him. Just how much of an idiot is he? Kise was still rubbing his poor hand with his other one, teary-eyed. "A-anyway, wasn't anyone with her? I mean, Rena was supposed to be with her and—" "She was the one who urged Rena to leave without her. After that, no one knows where she went off to. I tried asking everyone for help, but…" Lia cut him off and bit her lip in shame.

Kise smacked his face again… with his hurt hand. "Um, Kisecchi… your nose is already bleeding. Stop smacking your face. Oh, and your hand is already bruised, just in case you don't know." Lia couldn't resist her need to face-palm. Kise was now seriously crying over his bleeding nose and his hand. "A-ack. It really hurts." He complained once more. "B-but, if I had been there, I wouldn't have let anything happen to her, right?" Kise asked, even though he already knew the answer. Of course, he wouldn't. She's a girl who would do anything just to show anyone that she can take care of herself even though she only ends up killing herself in the process. How could Kise resist his need to watch over her?

He continued walking. Lia followed him, knowing that he was thinking of something to say. "You don't even know her that well. Why are you doing silly things just for her?" She asked him. Kise didn't answer, simply because he doesn't know what to answer. He knew that if she came back, he'll give her the box of chocolates he asked from that fan of his. If sees her again, he'll scold her and tell her all about how much he worried about her. After that, even if she punches him in the face or ignores him, he'll insist on carrying her on his back all the way home. He wouldn't want her feet getting tired. He _did_ leave her in the dark streets in the middle of the night before and she was forced to walk all the way home herself. He'll make it up to her.

He didn't really want her to think badly of him. He just wanted to make her see that people worry about her. "… She's so dense, Lia." He suddenly said out loud. Lia smiled at him and tried to stifle her laughter. "I know. She doesn't know how to appreciate the little things people do for her just because she is unable to feel them." She explained. Kise was about to smack his face again, but decided that his nose was getting crooked. He didn't really know how to treat her. Lia was right. He doesn't know her that much. Why spend all his time trying to think of a way to make her feel?

She was the densest girl he has ever encountered.

Kise massaged his temples. "I feel guilty for leaving her behind that night…" He said. Lia shook her head and chuckled. "No. I don't know about Rena, since she'll get angry with you if she finds out what you did to Gale, but… I don't think what you did was completely wrong. You were just trying to bring out her feelings, right? It's tough since she's dense, but I'm sure she felt something that night." Lia's words reassured Kise. He smiled and stretched his long arms. "Worrying over some little girl is tiring! She won't even care!" He said that bitterly, but his face showed comfort. He's tiring himself over someone who hates him. People would have thought that he has gone crazy. "Say, Lia. I'm guessing something." He told Lia, smiling stupidly at her. Lia gulped, not expecting that sudden remark. She had a bad feeling about this. "There's no chance she could fall in love with me, huh? Odd girl…" Kise had a feeling that he was wrong and he kind of wished that he _was_ wrong.

He was trying to test out Lia's reaction to get an answer. Unfortunately for him, he didn't know that Lia was not the type to show her reactions openly. Unless she's facing Akashi, of course. Lia just stared at him with a blank face. "I don't know. You've only just met. You only encounter each other after school, too. You have little to no encounters, how do you expect her to fall in love with you?" Ouch. Now that was one answer Kise did not expect. Besides, why was he even worrying over stupid stuff such as 'Gale will fall for him' and all that crap? He seriously doubted himself now. "That's because each unexpected encounter increases the chances of two people falling for each other. Hard." He was making weird hand movements and was smiling _happily_ that Lia wanted to ditch him right there because he looked so lovesick and stupid at the moment.

Realizing what he had just said, Kise _accidentally_ smacked his forehead. He shook his hand in pain and a tear fell down his right cheek. Lia laughed nervously, thinking about kicking him back to his original planet or something. "T-That's not what I meant, though! It's just… agh." Kise walked faster, unmindful of Lia's inability to keep up without panting or feeling exhausted. She pulled his shirt and he looked back at her. "You're too fast!" She complained. "Ah, sorry." Kise simply apologized. "I don't think you're wrong, Kisecchi."

Ignoring the weird nickname she's been calling him since he bumped into her, he felt butterflies in his stomach when he heard her response. "I mean, whenever you see each other, you always end up arguing and fighting but that's one of your good memories, too. There is a thin line between love and hate. I don't think she completely hates you." She explained to him. Each word gave Kise one tiny spark of hope. He didn't know why, but he felt relieved. "And… I don't think you hate her, too." She ended her statement with a cheesy smile. "Well, I have to go now. Bye, Kisecchi!" Lia quickly left, finally ditching him. Kise chuckled softly until he burst into a boisterous laughter. The people around him were staring at him once more. Handsome guys are weird.

He was walking along the streets now with an annoyingly happy aura. He looked insanely cheerful that he smelled flowers in every garden he passed by. Yep. Handsome guys _are_ weird. As he turned around a corner, he spotted a speeding car swerving to the right. He watched the car go by until he saw a person trying to cross the street without even looking at the stoplight. "O-oi! Don't cross!" He dashed to the person and grabbed her arm, bringing her back to the sidewalk. He looked down and sighed. "That was close."

When he looked at the person he saved, he froze in his place. "… Kise?" She looked at him innocently as if there was nothing wrong going on. Aurora hair and blue eyes. Huge black ribbon that looked like cat ears. Unexpected encounter in the middle of the streets. In an instance, he embraced her. "They said you were missing! Why are you always making people worry? And now that I found you, you're just going to look at me innocently? And I spent all week worrying about how angry you were with me then suddenly finding out that you were missing! And now that I've found you, YOU'RE JUST GOING TO CALL ME 'KISE' SO INNOCENTLY?" He was yelling but he didn't care. Gale didn't even make an effort to hug back. She was just silently being pulled against his chest. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? I thought you didn't contact me because you were mad at me! Everyone's been worried sick about you!" He let go of her and clutched her shoulders tightly. Gale was still staring at him innocently, unable to feel a thing.

_Dense._

"… Why are you so worried, then, Kise?"

"Don't call me 'Kise'! I'm… I'm your Ryouta, right? Call me 'Ryouta', please…"

.

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"No, you're not. You are just Kise."


	30. Chapter 30 Falling Apart

Kise was shaking. He stared at her and he could feel a huge lump in his throat. His hands gripped her shoulders tightly and she could feel his poor hands shaking terribly. His eyes were wide and his mouth was hung agape. "… But…" He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say. Gale's blue eyes were colder. She was looking at him as if she didn't know him. He didn't know why, but it really pained him. She held his hands for the first time and he was surprised at the sudden contact from her two cold hands. "You're not mine, Kise. The others… your fans and the people who actually supported you from the start need you more than I do. They wouldn't like it if they found out that you're wasting your time over someone who keeps on pushing you away." She gently told him. "I'll be fine, Kise. I always was. Even before I met you." She then let go of his hands and backed away slowly.

"HEY, GIRLS! KISE RYOUTA'S OVER HERE!" She shouted, alarming Kise. "W-wait!" He tried to stop her, but it was too late. A flock of girls mobbed him and he was stuck in a huge crowd again. Gale took this opportunity to escape. She ran away quickly, not minding the pain her body felt. She hasn't fully recovered from her road accident so she could still feel the pain of being hit by a car. When she was sure that she has gotten away, she went inside a mini mall and went upstairs. That way, she was sure that he won't find her there. "I'm so sorry, Ryouta." She panted heavily, gasping for air. She needed to get home now. She was sure that she would be grounded when she does get home, but she won't really mind. She would prefer to stay home the whole summer, anyway. "… Akashi's right. I'm not yours to protect and you're not mine to rely on." She then headed out again, having no idea where to calm herself down.

* * *

Lia entered the room and was surprised to see Akashi sitting on the bed. Little did she know that he was still thinking about what he told Gale. Shouldn't he also apply that to himself? He didn't want to. It's too early to leave Lia in mid-air. He didn't really want to break his promise to help her up whenever she feels down. He was staring at the calendar on the other side of the room. It was only a month left before winter. He needed to revert back to his cold, prideful self.

He didn't want Lia to see how much of a monster he can be. He was far worse than what she had witnessed so far. "Hey, I'm here to return your scissors, Akashi." She innocently held out his scissors with a smile on her face. The truth is, Lia was already bothered by the cold atmosphere of the room. She didn't want to be in here for too long. She was about to walk away after handing him his scissors to escape their fated separation when Akashi stood up and pulled her arm. He pulled her in an embrace and held her tightly. "A-Akashi? H-Hey, let go! Your atmosphere is scaring me!" She desperately wanted to get away because somehow, she knew that something bad is going to happen. They've only just started getting along. They've only just started turning their rivalry into something wonderful. She won't risk anything.

"Stay away from me, Lia." There go his impossible orders again. He knew that Lia wouldn't follow him but he had to try. "… What?" Her voice sounded soft and sad against his ear. His grip tightened and it made Lia struggle in pain. "It would be wise if you did something for yourself, Lia. This might be the last time I hold you like this… so be strong, Lia." He whispered. Lia could hear his silky voice slightly fading away. She remembered her oath –she had to beat him before he melts away. She won't let him go away and leave her behind all of the sudden!

She pushed him away forcibly and glared at him. "You must be joking! You were the one who kept on contacting me, saving me, giving me hope, helping me reach the peak of my potential, and caring for me! It was just a short story, but those were so precious to me! Don't give me that crap, Akashi!" She yelled, trying to keep her voice strong. Akashi stared at her with an emotionless face. He started snipping at the air with his scissors. "This is an order, Lia." He said. Lia shook her head. "I don't care! You _will_ treat me as your equal! You won't order me around anymore once I beat you." She insisted on staying when all of the sudden, Akashi struck forward with his scissors, piercing through the wall just beside Lia's head.

Her eyes widened and her lips started quivering in fear. He _did_ try to kill her, right? She watched him pull the scissors from the fresh hole in the wall and was unable to speak. "Go now, Lia." Akashi said again. This time, Lia obeyed. She swallowed in her saliva and hurriedly went out the door. As the door slammed shut, Akashi dropped the scissors and crouched down on the floor. "… I'm a monster, Lia. I am never wrong."

* * *

Yelena was walking along the streets with Kuroko. As usual, they were still trying to find Gale. "When will she return home, Ko-chan? I feel so guilty." She tightened her grip around his hand. Kuroko nodded. "I do, too." He answered. They just wanted to find her so bad. Kuroko had no intention in bringing Yelena trouble nor did he want to cause any harm to her. In fact, they were already back in front of Seirin.

They were about to enter the school so that Kuroko could go back to practice when a group of thugs approached them. "Cute girl." One intimidatingly commented. They surrounded both Yelena and Kuroko. "W-where did they come from?" Yelena hid behind him, staring at the huge men in fear. "Can't believe you have such a weak-looking guy as your boyfriend! Say, why don't you come with us?" Another suddenly grabbed Yelena's arm and she screamed. Kuroko slapped his arm away and went in between them. He was already glaring at the man but his emotionless eyes weren't so scary at all. "Please don't touch her. Learn how to respect a woman. She doesn't like to be touched so don't ever _dare_ lay a finger on her."

The man got pissed and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "What did you say, punk? Do you want to die?" The man threatened. "Kill that weak bastard!" The other commented. "Yeah! Bring out the guts!" Another agreed. Yelena's eyes widened when she saw Kuroko fall to the ground after being punched by that man. Her eyes changed color from amber to a fiery orange. "_**Fucking dared hurt him.**_"

The group of thugs suddenly silenced. The cute little girl turned into a monster. She suddenly brought out a Swiss knife from her pocket and threw it at the violent man's shoulder. _Jackpot_. It pierced through his skin. Yelena walked toward him but her arms were suddenly grabbed by the two other men. Growling, she twisted both their arms. "YOU HEARD WHAT KO-CHAN SAID! DON'T LAY A FINGER ON ME!" She yelled. They both groaned in pain at the sudden adrenaline force the girl applied to them. She pulled out the knife from the wound, making the violent man scream in pain. She was about to attack again when she felt a hand hold her wrist.

It was Kuroko. His cheek was swollen and his left eye was closed. "Don't be like them, Rena." Kuroko gently told her, as if he wasn't hurt at all. Yelena felt tears building up in her eyes. Her hands started shaking and she accidentally dropped the knife. "I'm so sorry, Ko-chan…" she sobbed. They didn't notice that one of the thugs picked up the Swiss knife and attacked. Kuroko stood between him and Yelena. He was in his basketball stance, ready to use his misdirection. When he was sure that he hid his presence well enough, he dashed forward trying to use his new technique.

But he failed and the knife cut across his arm. A long cut was seen bleeding. His eyes widened and he stared at his wound, shocked. How did the thug hit him if he couldn't see him? Kuroko turned around, realizing that Yelena was in danger. The man was about to stab her when someone suddenly kicked the man to the ground. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!"

It was Lilith. Yelena thought that the Xelestine woman was stalking Hyuuga again. That would be the best reason why she suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She held the man's collar with her two hands and shook him violently. "HOW DARE YOU HURT TETSUYA AND RENA! I WILL MAKE SURE YOU LIVE THE REST OF YOUR LIFE IN HELL AND—" "You idiot!"

Lilith turned around just in time to see Hyuuga punch the thug who was about to grab her. "There are three of them here! Don't just attack one!" Hyuuga scolded her. "H-Hyuuga-darling?" She blinked.

Suddenly, the whole Seirin team ran out of the school gate. "Kuroko!" Kagami quickly ran toward Kuroko, who had a deep cut on his arm. He immediately turned to the third thug. "YOU BASTARD!" He cursed, ready to punch him. "Wait! Don't! We're not allowed to resort to violence, idiots!" Riko suddenly yelled at them. Everyone turned to her in silence. The three thugs quickly stood up and ran away in fear. Riko went near Kuroko and sighed. "This is bad. You're going to have to heal before I bring you guys to the training camp." She told him.

Yelena was still stunned in her place. She completely blamed herself for what happened. If only she wasn't so reckless, Kuroko wouldn't have to get hurt. She started crying. Kagami put an arm around her and was trying hard to think of something to say to his neighbor. "… It's not your fault." It was the only thing he could say to a girl. Meanwhile, a different conversation was taking place near Kuroko. "… People notice you when you're with her because her light is too strong." Riko explained. Lilith scowled. "That doesn't make any sense. Yelena's just an ordinary girl." She tried to reason out. "Are you an idiot? Yelena might be an ordinary girl, but when she's with Kuroko, they grab attention too quickly." Hyuuga commented.

Kuroko was still thinking about what to do. He had nothing to rely on except his misdirection. When he's with Yelena, it doesn't work. He can't protect her if he can't even use his only ability to keep her safe. Was it fate that the only thing that makes him special wasn't effective at all when he's with her? He won't be able to protect her if he kept on relying on that ability. He had to make himself stronger. He stood up, dusting off the dirt from his pants. "… I'm sorry, Rena." He said.

Yelena looked up at him, still crying. "Kagami… please protect her." Kuroko decided. It was just a simple statement, but Yelena knew that it meant something. It meant 'parting ways'. "Ko-chan…" She was already clutching Kagami's shirt. Kagami had no idea what to say. "Kuroko! That's so unlike you! You're not the type to give up on something, right? If you want to protect her, then try to find a way to do so!" Lilith suddenly barged in.

All of the sudden, someone emerged from the bushes. It was none other than Lilith's stalking companion – Sakurai. Hyuuga gawked at him, unable to believe that his rival three-point shooter is here. Sakurai's face didn't look scared at all. In fact, he looked manly. "… Lilith-senpai's right. If you want to protect someone, find a way to do so." He said, without apologizing even once. Unfortunately, nobody took him seriously. He had just emerged from the bushes for goodness' sake; no one knew why he was here. "W-what? Lilith? What's she to you? Stop coming out of nowhere! Are you really a mushroom?" Hyuuga pointed furiously at him. "She's my girlfriend!" Sakurai shouted back.

Lilith suddenly waved her hands in front of her. "N-no! We're not a couple! S-Sakurai, stop saying such silly things!" She felt embarrassed. First of all, their 'boyfriend-girlfriend' thing was just something Lilith made up just to teach him to be manlier by treating his 'own' woman well. It's not really something she was serious about. Sakurai flinched at her words. "Girlfriend? Seriously now…" Hyuuga, of course, didn't really believe it either. He massaged his temples, unable to decipher what was happening. "… So I really can't be a man to you…" Sakurai mumbled. Lilith bit her lip, feeling guilty.

The situation abruptly changed from Yelena and Kuroko to Lilith and Sakurai. It was a bit surprising and sad. "I'm sorry. I tried to change you… because I thought you could be like _him_. I had a boyfriend when I was younger. He had the same first name as you. He wasn't manly nor was he anything special, but he was the last man I loved." She explained. "You were so much like him, Sakurai. I tried to search for him within you, but no matter what I do… I can't fall in love with you. I'm sorry." She then suddenly ran away. "O-oi, Xelestine!" Hyuuga called out.

"AH! KUROKO DISAPPEARED!" Kagami yelled out loud. Yelena didn't even notice him run away. She made a promise that she wouldn't lose sight of him, so how could she not see him? The rain started pouring down. Hyuuga looked up at the sky, his eyes warm and tender. "… The first summer rain, huh…" He whispered. Sakurai clenched his fists and walked away slowly, unable to bear what Lilith had just said.

Today was a heartbreaking day.

* * *

They were all staring at each other in confusion. "… So… I found you." Lilith was wet because of the rain and she was trying to dry her hair. They were seeking shelter in front of a closed store. Gale sighed and took off her wet black ribbon. "Yep. You found me." She simply repeated. Akashi was a meter away from them. He was watching the rain fall down so depressingly. He just went for a quick stroll around the vicinity when the rain started. He had no choice but to seek shelter and there he found Gale again. "We meet again." He said and Gale had a feeling that it was directed to her.

On the other hand, Kuroko was sitting comfortable on the ground with a towel covering his head. He, too, was watching the rain fall peacefully. "… Nice to see you again, Akashi-kun." He finally greeted Akashi. They all just stayed there in silence. Little did they know that they were all fatefully gathered in that place just because of one common reason – they broke hearts. "This small world surprises me." Akashi mumbled.


	31. Chapter 31 A Pure Unselfish Love

The rain was still pouring down. It symbolized all their current heartaches. "… I stayed away from him, Akashi." Gale was the first to talk. Akashi didn't respond. Kuroko looked at Gale, wondering if she was talking about Kise. "You mean that model?" Lilith asked bluntly, unmindful of the pain she was causing. "He has been embarrassed too many times because of you. While you were missing, he asked his fans for help. They all made gifts for you, Gale. I can't believe how stupid you were to throw all that away. His fans supported you because Kise showed them how important you were to him. He went as far as to sacrifice his well-kept reputation, and all you do is push him away. How absurd." Lilith hissed, obviously in a very bad mood. All of the sudden, a hand came across her face and she fell to the ground.

Her eyes widened when Akashi suddenly slapped her without hesitating. "You know nothing about unselfish love." He told her, trying hard to hide his own pain. Akashi was known as a man who knew nothing about those kinds of things. All he thought about was winning and keeping that as a given. Now that he's starting to suffer from a disease called "feelings", he wanted to keep himself as stable as possible. "Don't talk to me like you know me! You only know my sister, and I'm different from her!" Lilith stood up again and walked toward him. Kuroko suddenly panicked. "Xelestine-san!" He called out.

Too late. Lilith's face has a huge cut across it. She looked at her side, staring in fear at Akashi's gleaming scissors. Gale had a horrified look on her face. "Akashi, look. Calm down! We're not defying you!" She gathered up all her courage to grab his arm. Akashi kept his eyes on Lilith. She had strong resemblance to Lia and it pained him just seeing her terrified expression. He suddenly threw the scissors out in the rain. Kuroko took the towel from his head and gently wiped off the blood on Lilith's face. "… We're all in the same situation, Akashi-kun. Please don't try to hurt them. Please…" Kuroko begged.

"Don't level me down with you." Akashi told them. "Unlike you, I had no intention of losing her. Either way, I would still lose her. If she stays with me for long and sees my true colors, she'll leave. I only just made it less painful by making her leave before something like that happens." Akashi explained. Although he looked indifferent, everyone around him knew how much pain he had to go through just to protect Lia… _from himself_.

Kuroko was different. He didn't need to protect Yelena from himself. The fact that she's not safe when she's with him didn't change, though. "I'm sorry. I'm not defying you in any sort, but… I'm the same." Kuroko admitted. He feared Akashi, but he knew that somehow, this Akashi was still the same Akashi whom he had teamed up with as one of the Generation of Miracles. "I want to protect _her_ as much as you want to protect _yours_. Your problem is that you have an over-abundance of your ability and you fear that your ability might hurt Lia-san. My problem is that I have an under-leveled ability which is ineffective when I'm with… Rena…"

Gale felt her heart aching at Kuroko's words. She never actually thought that men could talk like this. The surprising thing was, Akashi didn't make any move to attack again. He just silently watched each raindrop fall on the streets. Lilith touched her wound gently, silently crying. "… I'm sorry, Akashi. I just didn't like seeing Lia hurt… she's too innocent and it was the first time she had actually encountered someone like you… someone she was capable of loving. I just couldn't accept the fact that her first love is… slowly breaking her into pieces." Lilith apologized. Akashi still didn't respond. "But… now I know that it's not only her, but you, too. You're slowly breaking your own heart. I'm not saying you're wrong, Akashi. Don't attack me again." Lilith slowly backed away, afraid that he might try to kill her. Still, Akashi remained silent. He didn't want to show any emotions anymore. It was making him feel weak.

"You're always right, Akashi. And you're right yet again." She continued. Gale was looking at her, worried. Akashi finally looked into her eyes, gazing deep into her golden orbs. Kuroko sat on the ground beside Gale, wondering where such strong feelings came from. The four of them never actually thought that something like this could be possible in such a short time. "You were right when you said that I knew nothing about unselfish love. When Ryo broke up with me, I couldn't bring myself to let go of him. It almost felt like I was only holding his memory within me to make myself happy and completely incapable of loving anybody else. I was selfish. I broke other people's hearts just so I could still keep Ryo's memory living inside of me." Lilith confessed. Gale laid her head on Lilith's shoulder. "You're not wrong about me, senpai… however, I only chose to stay away from Ryouta because I didn't want him to risk his fans' support and his happiness just to get me out of this shell I've enclosed myself in." Gale whispered.

"… I was wrong."

Everyone suddenly looked at Akashi, completely dumbfounded and bewildered. The great Akashi who was never wrong suddenly confessed about being wrong. Kuroko, especially, was the most affected one. "S-slow down, Akashi. Don't force yourself to say something weird!" Lilith got scared again. "I'm not forcing myself. I was wrong when I said that I'm not like any of you." Akashi admitted. Gale suddenly laughed. "None of us wanted to hurt anyone, Akashi. I just don't understand how something like this could happen. We barely know _them._" Gale was the densest and most ignorant of them all, after all. "Time doesn't matter. Who cares about how few your encounters are? That's no reason not to love." Lilith grinned at them, obviously the one who suffered the most in that thing they call 'love'.

Kuroko sighed. "I don't know if it's love." He told them. "All I did was make her stay away from me because I can't protect her."

Akashi looked back at the rain. "She won. But I can't say the same for that thing you call 'love'."

Gale tilted her head in confusion. "So… who's falling first? Me or him?"

Lilith just laughed at their innocent reactions. "I'm your Big sis! Just try to believe in me more!"

The atmosphere went from heavy to light. The rain was finally coming to a halt. "I should go home." Gale told them. She stood up and stretched her arms. "I'll walk you home, Gale." Kuroko offered. Akashi just smiled gently without saying another word. "… Cheer up, pips! We all did this to protect the people who are important to us. Sakurai _is_ important to me. I just feel a bit guilty for not being able to love him." Lilith's face twitched in pain right after mentioning Sakurai. "If there was someone I could possibly like, it would be Hyuuga-darling, though. Crazy, right? I'm crazy." She laughed out loud. Akashi turned his back toward them, ready to take his leave. He finally spoke up in his usual "know-it-all" self as if something just rose him up from his depressed state.

"… Humans do the stupidest things because of a silly, pure, unselfish love."

* * *

Kuroko and Gale walked in silence. They weren't really that close, after all. "I'm sorry. I'm just not used walking home with a different guy." Gale admitted. "You're not Rena, either." Kuroko bluntly told her. Gale chuckled nervously. "Hey, do you like her?" She suddenly asked. This made Kuroko stop in his tracks. He blinked twice, showing no signs of emotion on his face. "I don't know." He answered. "Do you like Kise-kun?" He asked back.

The question alarmed Gale. She didn't actually expect her question to suddenly be thrown back at her. "I don't know either." She answered. They answered honestly, even though it was indefinite. They still weren't sure of themselves. Kuroko started walking again. His hand was starting to feel empty. After all, he always had her han—Not anymore.

Gale missed yelling on this street. Their silly arguments always made her day. Whenever they see each other, they always end up fighting, after all. But that was another good memory, right? She clutched her neck in pain, suddenly feeling the shock her body took after getting hit by a stupid car. "If only he was there, he wouldn't have let me get hit by that freaking car…" She said out loud, not realizing it. Kuroko nodded. "He won't." Kuroko answered, making Gale flinch. She covered her mouth in shock, realizing what she had just said. "If only I was able to protect her, Rena wouldn't have to fight." Kuroko suddenly blurted out.

The aurora-haired girl sighed. "… You really don't get her, huh?" She told him. "You don't get Kise at all, too." Kuroko immediately argued back, shocking Gale. Before they knew it, they were throwing their every flaw at each other's faces. "Of course I don't! All I know about him are his idiocy and his flirtatiousness!" Gale suddenly blushed in embarrassment. Kuroko, on the other hand, was still calm. "All I know about Rena are her drastic changes in facial expressions." He told her. Gale smirked at his statement. "So… why are you going as far as to care for her so much if you don't even know her?" She asked, challenging him.

They finally reached Gale's house. Kuroko was silent for a moment as he gently rubbed his wounded arm. It was a good thing that Lilith bandaged it for him. "It's the same reason why Kise was willing to go that far just to make you smile. Like I said, you don't understand men." He politely bowed down, urging her to get inside the house. Gale frowned. "… The reason why Rena protected you instead of letting you protect her is also the same as the reason why I chose to let Kise go rather than keep him all to myself." Gale argued back. As she walked toward the door of her house, she looked back at Kuroko and smiled.

* * *

"Hey, I understand why you broke my sister's heart, but… she's still so innocent." Lilith told Akashi, who was trying to walk away and ignore her. "Don't you love her?" She asked. Akashi felt the need to stab her throat, but her face reminded him of Lia's so he decided otherwise. "… Go home, Lilith." He ordered her. Unfortunately, Lilith was too stubborn to follow his orders. They both had a superiority complex, after all. "Not until you answer my question." She insisted.

Akashi stopped walking and turned toward her. "That is for me to decide." He simply said before walking away. Lilith gritted her teeth in dismay. Akashi continued walking when he heard a loud crash. He looked back again and saw a broken bottle at Lilith's feet. Among the broken shards are thousands of paper stars and a wooden carving. "I… I have decided to let Ryo go." Lilith told him, her voice trembling. Akashi smirked. "Ah. That's wise." He simply commented. He turned around again and continued walking away. "That's why you have to decide whether you love her or not. I won't let anyone hurt my sister… and I know you wouldn't." She told him. Akashi stopped in his tracks once again, but this time, he didn't look at her. "A monster is not capable of such absurd feelings." He was back to the cold Akashi again. It was as if their previous conversation had never existed. "I am not capable, either. But I chose to let go of my burden. Let go of yours." Lilith was clearly ordering him.

He smirked. "It's too late. She won't come back to me." He silently walked away.


	32. Chapter 32 As Long As You're Alive

She woke up on a hospital bed. She blinked her eyes in confusion, not knowing what was going on. Didn't she return home yesterday and got scolded by the people in her house and the next thing she knew, she's now in a hospital. She turned her head to her side and was beyond surprised at the sight that greeted her. His head lay peacefully at her side and he was sleeping like an angel. She tried to back away but her body was too weak to move. "He offered to look after you since yesterday. He stayed up for 22 hours just to watch over you." Someone's voice caught her attention.

She looked up to see someone by the door. It was her mother – she was actually surprised to see her mother there. "Mom…" she mumbled. "I stopped by to see if you were doing okay. You seem to have a good person caring for you so much." Her mother smiled. "A handsome one, too." Gale blushed at her mother's words. She looked at Kise's sleeping face. He looked so perfect. Her fingers ran through his hair. His hair felt so soft against her fingers. "I'll be going now, dear. I'm glad to see you finally awake." Her mother then left the room. Gale was still staring at Kise. "… How come you're so stubborn?" She asked.

Suddenly, Kise's eyes were starting to open. He felt a soft hand brush his hair gently and he sat upright suddenly. His face brightened, but Gale could tell that he developed eye bags and he looked really exhausted. "Ah, you're awake!" He suddenly leaned in and hugged her. For some reason, Gale felt something wet upon her shoulder. She could hear Kise sob quietly against her shoulder. "I don't want to lose you, Hanacchi." He whispered sadly. Gale's eyes widened at his words. "So don't give up on living, okay? Don't ever try to be alone. No matter what you do, I will only end up staying by your side, anyway." He laughed. Gale felt her lips curve into a small smile. Kise gently placed her pillow in an upright position and supported Gale's back against it so she could sit upright. Gale was simply watching his every movement – it was filled with pure concern. She watched him open a box of chocolates. "Here you go! Look, it spells your name!" He showed her the chocolates. Gale was sure she has seen those chocolates somewhere before.

She still didn't say anything, wondering why Kise came back for her. "Say 'ahh'!" He popped one chocolate into her mouth although she only had her mouth open because she was about to say something. The chocolate actually tasted really good. "Have some water." He held out the glass of water to her mouth and tilted it slowly. Gale felt the cold water rush into her mouth as she swallowed it down her throat. It felt refreshing. Kise placed the glass of water on the table and he went to sit down on a chair beside the hospital bed. "You shouldn't have left the hospital. You're not yet fully recovered, you know." He sighed and pouted. Gale was completely captivated by his care. She bit her lip and looked down at her hands, embarrassed.

She was about to say something when the door suddenly burst open. A group of men went inside. "Ah, are you Gale's friends?" Kise asked them enthusiastically. He was a bit dumbfounded when Gale suddenly grabbed his arm. "Ah, there you are… Kise Ryouta…" One of the men slowly walked towards them. Gale pulled Kise's arm closer and because of her strong pull, Kise accidentally fell _on top of her_. She held her breath at the sudden event. His face was just _two inches_ away from hers. His eyes were like pure gold. Kise thought that Gale's eyes were like diamonds. They complement each other. Okay, they would never say that to each other in this kind of situation.

"I-I don't know who those guys are!" Gale whispered, unable to look into his eyes at close-range. "H-ha? Then, who are they?" Kise asked. His minty breath brushed over Gale's face and her blush deepened in reaction. Suddenly, Kise was grabbed on the collar of his shirt. One of the guys was holding Kise in the neck up in the air. Gale's face turned to pale. She tried to move her body, but was unable to. "Wait, no! Don't!" She watched in horror as he slammed Kise down to the floor. Kise screamed in pain.

Gale forced herself to move and stand up. Her bones felt numb, but she would withstand anything just to save him. She jumped out from her bed, wincing in pain. The doctor must have given her anesthetics and stuff that could control her numbness and movement. She ran towards Kise, shielding him from the upcoming hand that was about to grab him again. "Don't touch him!" She yelled. "I-Idiot… get away…" Kise tried hard to push her away, but his body felt broken after the impact against the floor. "No! Are you crazy? Can't you see how big this bastard's body is? You'll get killed!" Gale reasoned out. "I'd rather die than let him hurt you first!" Kise tried to raise himself up from the floor even though he was already coughing up blood. "If you die, who would protect me? Who would protect _us_? You're _MY_ Ryouta! I'm the only one who has the right to kick you or punch you or kill you!" Gale hissed, suddenly getting pissed off.

The men just stood there, unblinking. "… Who's that girl?" One man asked. "Who cares? She seems to be his girlfriend. Let's take her with us." Another suggested. Meanwhile, the 'couple' was still arguing. "Just go rest! You already got hit by a car, why are you trying to get yourself killed by some men you don't know?" Kise scolded her, still trying to push her weakly back to bed. Their bodies were both in pain, but none of them wanted to give up on the other. "_You're_ the one who's trying to get yourself killed, you know!" Gale yelled back. Kise's eyes suddenly widened. He quickly grabbed Gale's shoulders and embraced her to his chest. Gale heard a loud crash. She looked up at Kise's face, only to find him unconscious. "…R-Ryouta?" She whimpered when she saw a broken vase beside his head. A large hand grabbed her arm, separating her from Kise. She felt her muscles and bones throbbing in pain. "Ow!" She yelped. Before she knew it, a handkerchief covered her mouth and after smelling a bit of scent, she blacked out.

* * *

Kise woke up somewhere dark. His eyes adjusted and saw that he was in a warehouse. He clutched the back of his head and he felt something wet. Startled, he looked at his hands. There was a faint red tainting his fingers. Even so, his head was already wrapped up in a white wrapping so he wasn't too worried. He raised his left hand, only to find it chained. His eyes traveled from the chain on his hand to the other end of the chain… which was Gale's right hand. "H-Hanacchi?" Kise panicked. He held her in his arms and shook her desperately. Gale opened her eyes slowly. "…Ryouta?"

A sigh of relief escaped Kise's lips. Gale sat upright, finally able to move her body. The injected meds must have lost its effects. She looked around frantically, surprised at her surroundings. Suddenly, they both heard the door open. Three men came in. One of them looked different – he was more decent and looked gentle although both of them could tell that he was the most evil. "So you're Kise Ryouta…" The leader suddenly punched Kise on the face. "YOU BASTARD!" Gale furiously yelled. She wasn't stupid. She won't attack three men by herself, especially when her dominant hand was chained.

The man looked at her, amused. "You're so lucky to grab such a protective girlfriend, Kise Ryouta. Would you mind if I steal her away from you?" The man suddenly held Gale's left wrist. Kise felt his blood boil at the sight. "Don't touch her!" He growled. The man just scowled at him and kicked his stomach. Gale felt like crying when she saw blood spurt out of his mouth. "Too bad I had to bandage that head of yours to prevent it from bleeding. You should be more grateful, Kise Ryouta." The man smirked. He let go of Gale harshly, causing her to fall just beside Kise.

The man cracked his knuckles. "The love of my life… she left me because of you, Kise Ryouta. She wasn't just your fan. She _loves_ you. After finding out about that girlfriend of yours, she got heartbroken. I can't accept it, Kise Ryouta. I can't accept the fact that she left me because of you and you didn't acknowledge her because of _that_ girl." He glared at Gale. Gale suddenly started shaking, scared of his fierce green eyes. "I'm not his girlfriend." She said. "And it's not Ryouta's fault, you dumb man-whore. That idiotic girlfriend of yours just got blinded by her fandom and started chasing after impossible people. SHE'S THE DUMB BITCH HERE! Don't you dare blame me for all this shit!" Gale was too angry and was unable to control herself from cursing.

The boss brought out a knife and was about to stab her when Kise shielded her. He screamed in agony as soon as the knife pierced through his shoulder. "… She's got nothing to do with this." Kise still didn't fight back. "What's wrong with you? Why won't you fight back?" Gale finally asked. She put her arms around his neck and breathed in his scent. He smelled like a bloodied flower. She could smell the hypnotizing scent of his blood but she didn't mind. Suddenly, Kise laughed. "It's so nice to see you worried about me." He happily remarked.

Gale gritted her teeth. "What's wrong with you? Have you gone crazy?" She hissed at him, angry with his stupid happy-go-lucky attitude. "Ah, maybe. But I think it's best if we talk things out first, right?" Kise suggested, still smiling. "How sweet. How about dying together?" The man interrupted. Suddenly, Gale glared at him dangerously. "_To hell with you._" She smirked. The man felt his entire blood rise up to his head when he saw the girl look so confident and brave. He clutched his knife and was about to attack again when flashlights suddenly surrounded the place. "This is the police. Put down your weapons. I repeat, put down your weapons."

Gale chuckled lightly, annoying the man even more. "You bitch!" He charged forward. Gale suddenly slid down, kicking him upward on the jaw. He fell backward as a result. "Just so you know, I'm a stalker, you dolt. A stalker must always know how basic self-defense. Keep that in mind, mate." She then went back to Kise. He was coughing and spitting blood. "…Hang in there… please…" Gale held his face with both of her hands, ignoring the strong scent of blood coming out of his mouth as he gasped for air. "You really are one-of-a-kind." Kise was still _smiling gently_ at her. She fought her urge to cry. "Don't smile at me in that kind of state! You look terrible! I already told you, didn't I? You have to stay away from me or else, something like this might happen again!" Gale's voice broke as her trembling hands held his collar tightly. "Ah, sorry. I don't think I look terrible, though. Girls come chasing after me every now and then." Kise boastfully laughed.

Gale looked down at her hands on his collar. "… Why go this far…" She mumbled. Kise held out his left hand and grinned even though his teeth were also blood-stained. They both heard an ambulance approach the warehouse as the police captured all the suspects. "We're chained to each other by fate." He proudly declared. "You still have the time to make stupid jokes?" She looked at their chained hands and was actually thankful that the chains were long enough for her to kick the bastard's jaw and move freely. She started sobbing loudly. "Ryouta! YOU JACKASS!" She shouted.

Kise's left hand stroke her head gently, comforting her. "We'll be fine." He told her. "No matter how many people go against me or you, we'll be fine." He rested his chin on her head. The emergency team from the ambulance went near them and was touched to see such a lovely sight. They then supported both of them and guided them all the way to the ambulance. As they lay Kise on the stretcher, Gale was still trying to prevent herself from crying too much. The fact that Kise was still smiling at her as if nothing's happened to him was slowly killing her. "I'm just glad you're okay." He reached out to wipe the tears on her face. "As long as you're alive and well, I'll be fine."

* * *

"You've heard about what happened to Kise, right?" Lilith asked sternly. Kuroko didn't respond. In fact, he had no idea why Lilith visited him in the Seirin gym during today's practice. "Even though he would have died, he still protected Gale with his life. Why won't you do the same to Rena?" She asked again. Kuroko still did not answer.


	33. Chapter 33 Mend The Bond

_[From: Lilith]_

_[From: Li-senpai]_

_[From: My Damned Sister]_

_Girls. I just need company so badly right now. Let's go somewhere and spend the rest of our summer vacation with each other. Men suck. Except for Kise. GALE, I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. I WAS THE ONE WHO CALLED THE POLICE. I have my sources ._

* * *

"I STILL CAN'T GET OVER THE FACT THAT YOU'RE ALIVE!" Lia was yelling and screaming at the top of her lungs. Gale was staring at her in horror, realizing that everyone was already looking at her oddly. "To think you almost died _twice_! From that car and from those bastards who tortured Kise! Gale, you really have a way with death, huh?" Yelena smiled knowingly. Gale had no idea how they found out, but she assumed that it must be because of Lilith. Was Lilith stalking her that time when she and Kise got kidnapped? She'll take that as a yes.

Suddenly, Lia spotted her sister walking slowly behind Gale. "By the way… why didn't you just come here together?" Yelena asked Lia. "She was too depressed to get out of bed so I went ahead." Lia answered calmly. Lilith looked at them and smiled weakly. "Guys are bastards." She randomly said. She then turned to Gale who was blushing terribly. "Aren't you supposed to take care of Kise in the hospital? He took care of you when you were sick, you know." Lilith reminded her. Lia's eyes widened and Gale's mouth opened to say something but nothing came out. "_He_ took care of Gale?" Lia asked, dumbfounded. Yelena slapped her face, thinking about what could have happened. Kise and Gale. Alone in the room. Oh, crap.

"Rena, stop blushing. I feel like punching you right now." Gale's eye twitched and she balled her hands into a fist. Yelena snapped out of her thoughts and immediately smiled at her as if she wasn't thinking of anything odd. "Anyway! I heard the Seirin basketball team's out for a little training camp! I guess we won't be seeing those guys for a while…" Lilith told them, her mind wandering off to her _teensy_ crush – Hyuuga Junpei. As for Yelena, her heart started to ache at the mention of the Seirin basketball team. Is she going to continue her manager training?

Lia shrugged her shoulders. She suddenly remembered the Rakuzan team's training facility. She shook her head, trying to forget about how Akashi tried to _kill_ her. "Didn't they just come from the beach?" She asked, trying to be subtle. "Yeah, but Riko decided to bring them to the mountains now." Lilith pointed out. Lia got even more hurt when she heard the word 'mountain'.

The field of roses and the dark starless sky. His smile and his precious words. Was it all just a dream? Lia looked completely absent-minded. Lilith noticed it and decided to brighten up the atmosphere. She tried persuading both Akashi and Kuroko to make up with these two girls but to no avail. Kise was easier though. After all, he wasn't really mad at Gale. He even ran around in panic when he found out that she was in the hospital. Lilith wondered when she will get her own love. Who will open her heart once more?

"So… the next time we'll be seeing them is in the Winter Cup." Yelena felt a bit sad. It's going to be for so long. "Who cares? We haven't been able to spend time with one another because they keep on getting in our way! I'm sure that they… wouldn't really hate us." Lilith tried cheering them up. It was obvious that she was still confused and especially guilty for what she had done to Sakurai. She just wished that he would become stronger because of her. She put her arms around Lia's and Gale's neck. "Where do we go?"

* * *

Before they knew it, Lilith was already dragging them to every store in the mall. Gale was never really a fan of shopping, but she actually enjoyed the bonding. "Hey, Gale. Your birthday's on winter, right?" Lilith asked. Gale tilted her head. They were strolling around the mall even though they were actually short on money. Yelena especially had the most fun. They went into a shop that sells cultural things. Lilith's eyes widened in awe at the mini Eiffel towers on display. Lia was trying on some flower crowns. It was one of the few times she actually cared about how she looked.

Gale and Yelena went straight to the store that sells anime merchandise. It may not look like it – actually, they _did_ look like it – but they were actually otakus. Yelena was squealing at every little thing she sees while Gale's mood changed from sullen to hyper in just a short amount of time. Lia and Lilith arrived at the same store and Lia ran around in excitement. Lilith just watched them do embarrassing fangirl things, face-palming in the background.

When they finally decided to eat, Gale heard one of the customers in the fast food chain mention something about Kise. Lia noticed her look at the direction of the customer with a curious look on her face. Yelena laughed and nudged Gale, making the latter blush. She became a bit worried about his condition in the hospital. She wanted so badly to visit him, but she didn't want to miss out the bonding. It has been so long since they went out. Usually, they only go out to stalk people, but this was different. All of them were simply having fun. "Hey, let's fix things now." Lilith suddenly suggested.

They were now taking pictures of themselves. Lilith caught a stolen shot of Yelena, making her extremely flustered. She chased Lilith around, screaming and cursing. Gale and Lia simply laughed in the background. "After 15 years when she's finally mature, let's show her that picture again." Gale teased. Lilith nodded enthusiastically. "By the way, have you heard about this little field trip?" Lia asked all of the sudden. "Oh, we're going to a very far place, right? I don't think I'll enjoy, though… even though it's near the sea. We'll only watch dolphin shows and sea lions and stuff." Yelena complained. Gale shrugged her shoulders. "It's just 4 days after my birthday… I can't believe we're going to visit a watery place in the middle of winter. I don't like the sea. I don't like pools… I feel like something's going to pull me down…" Gale admitted.

Lilith smiled, trying her best to act as the big sister of the group. "Before autumn starts, I think you guys should make yourself clear to Kuroko, Akashi, and Kise." She told them. "WHAT?" The three girls all said in unison. Lilith jumped away happily. That was the exact reaction she was hoping for. "… Look, maybe you girls haven't fallen in love with them yet, but… really. At least make them know that you care for them." Lilith pouted. Lia shook her head, scared of what Akashi might do to her if she appears before him. Gale was wondering what Lilith was talking about. She and Kise are okay now, so what else does she have to tell him? Yelena bit her lip, trying not to think about the time when Kuroko parted ways with her.

"You're all so innocent." Lilith sighed. "I've already decided, you see."

* * *

Yelena finally returned home after a long day. Her friends really know how to dissolve all her energy. She plopped down on the bed and hid her face with a pillow. Someone knocked on her door but she was too lazy to get up. "Rena. I'm coming in." She heard her uncle's muffled voice from outside the door. Her bedroom door creaked open and her uncle stepped inside. He was a tall, handsome man who looked _nothing_ like Rena. He had a perfect mysterious prince look. Yelena was still pondering about how she ended up living with her 18-year-old uncle. He was a model and a fascinating one, too. "I got a call from my sister." He told Yelena. Rena removed the pillow from her head and rubbed her eyes.

She really wanted to sleep. What was her uncle doing in her room? She just wanted to get some sleep. "What about my mom?" She asked him, not interested. Her uncle sighed and put his hands on his hips. "She wants you to go back to Russia." He told her. Yelena suddenly jumped up from her bed. "YOU'RE JOKING!" She accused him, pointing at his face. "Not kidding, lass. You'll be continuing your studies online. In the meantime, you'll be going back to Russia in three days. Don't worry; it's just a short vacation. You'll be sent back here to Japan in the middle of winter."

Yelena felt like crying. She started whining like a puppy and pulling her hair in frustration. "I don't want to go back to that cold place!" She complained. Her uncle's eyes turned to the scarf she was wearing on her neck. "You always wear a scarf. In other words, you still have that Russian blood within you so keep wearing that and be proud of your race." He said as if he won't miss her at all. In fact, he adored his little niece. He's just not good in expressing it. "You'll be back by winter, Rena. You're reacting too much." He scolded her, even though he knew that it'll be long before that happens.

Yelena messed up her own hair. Her braid was already coming off. "I miss mom and dad, but… why the sudden call? What am I going to do…" She sat down on her bed and started sulking. It was really cold there – she'll miss the warmth of Kuroko's hand enveloping hers.

* * *

Lilith stood awkwardly in front of the basketball team. Sakurai didn't even look at her. He just kept shooting balls through the hoop. "When will you stop bothering us during practice?" Wakamatsu asked, finally annoyed by her frequent entrances. Lilith didn't say a word. She just walked toward Sakurai, biting her lip in fear of his reaction. Momoi was about to grab her arm but the blonde looked like she didn't want to be comforted right now. As usual, Aomine wasn't there.

"Umm… Sakurai." Lilith tried calling his name. Sakurai ignored her and went on with his practice. "I'm so sorry, Sakurai…" She said again, unmindful of how much she was hurting him. Sakurai dribbled another ball and went on with his shooting stance. He didn't miss a shot today and he was determined to keep it that way. Lilith sighed, knowing that what she did was really terrible. "You'll find the girl of your dreams someday." She said. As soon as Sakurai threw the ball, it bounced off the rim of the hoop. _Thump._ The ball bounced on the floor. Sakurai was silent. It was his first miss today.

Lilith turned around and walked away. "You're that girl, senpai." Sakurai said. Lilith stopped in her tracks in shock. She looked back at him, but he still had his back turned toward her. She saw his hands ball into a fist and he was staring at the floor. "… I'm not that girl, Sakurai." Lilith answered then she quickly walked away, ignoring the stares of the Touou basketball team. "Senpai, wait!" Momoi tried chasing after her. "Leave her be, Momoi." Imayoshi said. "Sakurai's not the only one who's had a hard time. It may not look like it, but her heart's been broken first before she broke Sakurai's."

Meanwhile, Lilith was already ready to go to her next destination. "I'll fix this. This time, for real. I'll tell him my conclusion!" She said, determined. "Hyuuga-darling…"


	34. Chapter 34 I Am Yours To Keep

**FIRST OF ALL, PLEASE READ THIS.**

**Before reading this chapter, please load the song Koibumi by Yanagi Nagi and PLAY IT WHILE READING. I'm serious. It's the perfect background song for this adjkfskffdhgklhfdklghklfdhg AGH.**

* * *

Kuroko was getting ready to pack up his bags. They were all going on a training camp in two days. Tetsuya Number 2 kept on scratching on the door and whimpering. "Be quiet, Number 2." Kuroko scolded him softly. The dog didn't budge and started barking at the window for no reason. Kuroko had no idea why his companion was acting like that. The husky wasn't usually like this. _Clunk_. He heard a stone hit the steel windowsill.

He stared at it blankly. He was about to go near it when another stone came flying from outside and hit him on the forehead. He fell back and clutched his forehead in pain. His face hasn't fully recovered from the previous incident. The thugs punched him too hard and now a stone hits him in the face? Annoyed, he stood up and looked outside. His eyes widened and his mood immediately changed. A certain brunette was sheepishly waiting outside. She stared up at him and was blushing terribly. "Ko-chan!" She called out. "Rena… wait there, I'm coming down." Kuroko told her. "No, wait! Don't come here! I just want to… apologize…" She twiddled with her fingers shyly.

Kuroko was just watching her with his emotionless face. She clutched her scarf and inhaled. "I may have been foolish to think that I could be with you always, Ko-chan. Every moment seemed to last each time we're together. I can't say for sure how deep I feel towards you, but…" She sighed heavily. She frantically started twirling her little braid around her finger, nervous and fidgety. "I am a huge disadvantage to your only strength. I know that, Ko-chan, but I just don't understand why we have to part ways. You were always there for me. In class, during practice, and we used to always walk home hand-in-hand… don't you remember, Ko-chan?" Her eyes were already welling up with tears.

If there was one thing Kuroko hated, it was seeing the only living sunshine in his world cry. His hands started shaking, fighting the urge to run down the stairs and outside his door. He just wanted to listen to her first before he does anything. "I remember." He answered. Yelena didn't like the fact that he seemed so calm and collected about this. "Even if we get in trouble again… you don't have to worry about protecting me, Ko-chan! Because I… I'll protect you instead, Ko-chan! Russians are fierce! Russians are… bad-ass and… will do anything to protect the people important to them…" She was already sobbing and was wiping off the tears on her face with her scarf. "But… I guess you already have Satsuki to protect, right?" She smiled at him.

Kuroko's heart broke when he saw her smile. She faked her smile. Her most wonderful smile, the source of all her light, was slowly becoming dim. He was about to say something, when Yelena suddenly bowed down and started yelling gibberish. "I AM SO SORRY FOR BOTHERING YOU EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE STILL PACKING YOUR BAGS FOR YOUR TRAINING CAMP NOW I FEEL SO STUPID BUT I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK IN THE WINTER CUP AND I PROMISE TO BE BACK FROM RUSSIA BY THEN! BYE!" She suddenly took off, running away in embarrassment.

Kuroko didn't want to believe what he had just heard. 'Back from Russia'? Does that mean, Yelena's leaving? He gritted his teeth and he suddenly dashed out of his room and down the stairs. He went out of his door, but it was too late. Yelena was gone from his sight. "No." He started running away from his house, searching for her in every nook and corner. He even asked some people who were just walking peacefully in the streets but they showed no signs of remembering a brunette Russian girl running down the streets. Kuroko was already panicking although it didn't show on his face. He was already sweating and was really tired of trying to look for her.

He stopped by the sidewalk, panting heavily. He was still looking around in hopes of finding her, but she wasn't there. "Kuroko?" He was startled at the mention of his name. He turned around and saw Kagami, staring at him. "Y-you're all sweaty! Are you training by yourself?" The redhead pointed out. Kuroko looked terribly tired. He took out a towel and wiped off his sweat. "I'm sweaty." He said. "… I already said that." Kagami commented. Suddenly, Kuroko looked at him with a serious expression. Kagami was held aback, knowing that it must be about something important. "I have to tell you something, Kagami-kun."

* * *

It was already night time. Yelena stayed all day in her room, secluding herself from everyone. Her uncle was at work so she was alone. She didn't even touch her phone today. She just kept moping about going on a vacation back to Russia. She hated that place. It felt really cold there – on the outside and inside. "I suffered from a frozen heart in that place." She mumbled to herself. That place made her numb and unable to feel. That was the place where she was home-schooled for life. It felt so cold without anyone with her…

She remembered her terrible past in that stupid country. "Who am I kidding… I'm not pure Russian…" She chuckled softly. She stood up and went outside her room. The living room was dark. She then grabbed her scarf and opened the door. The cold breeze greeted her and she stepped outside. She saw a silhouette walking just outside their gate. "Rena?" It was Kagami's voice. She tilted her head and walked towards him, opening the gate. "Did you come from practice?" She asked him. The redhead nodded and sighed. "Perfect timing. I have something to tell you. Kuroko might get angry if I _did_ tell you but his actions are far too masochistic to ignore." He explained.

Rena felt something tug at her heartstrings. She gulped after hearing the word 'masochistic'. What did Kuroko do right after she ran away? She ran too fast and didn't look back so she never actually knew. "That little bastard wants me to take care of you." Kagami gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Yelena's neck felt cold, even though she had her scarf on. She could feel the cold blizzard of Russia causing a storm in her heart. Her eyes were starting to get wet again.

"First off, he told me to wipe away your tears when you start to cry." Kagami stated, taking out a handkerchief and wiped all her tears away. He wouldn't really do this if Kuroko wasn't such an insistent little bastard and if Yelena wasn't such a crybaby. She flinched at Kagami's touch. "Second, I have to pat your head, right?" His other hand made its way to Yelena's head and softly rubbed it. His hand was so big that Yelena felt her hairpins falling from their original places. She kept quiet and was now staring at Kagami in awe. "He told me to, uhh, quit saying insensitive things to you."

* * *

"_Fourth… walk her home every night. You have to make sure that you would always see her well and happy at the end of the day without anyone hurting her." Kuroko sternly commanded. Kagami was already sweating, wondering what has gotten into his teammate. He waved his hands in front of him, motioning for Kuroko to stop, but the Phantom ignored his obvious confusion. "… Please don't make her cry, Kagami-kun. Protect her… do things that I was unable to do…" _

_Kagami punched the wall beside him and growled. "DON'T DUMP ALL YOUR RESPONSIBLITIES AT ME! I'm not supposed to be the one to do that!" He scolded the blue-haired Phantom. Kuroko looked at his feet. "… Fifth, when she blushes out of embarrassment, don't embarrass her further. Make sure she would show her true self to you…" Kuroko's voice was already breaking. Kagami was about to say something to snap him out of his delusion, but Kuroko beat him to it. "Just listen to me! Don't make her feel that she's lowlier than Momoi- san or Gale-chan or even Lia! Make her feel like she's at the top of the world – she's the sun. Tell her that every time she downgrades herself. She doesn't deserve that… always tell her to smile. Always make her smile… do it for me…" Kuroko's voice almost sounded like a whisper. "Make her feel that you're hers to keep… inside her frozen, numb heart which doesn't know how to determine love yet. Make her feel that you'll be in her heart no matter how far apart the world takes you…" _

_Kagami sighed. "You make it seem like those are the words that you're supposed to be telling to yourself_ _and not to me. Are you insane? I'm training for the Winter Cup! If there was one person who could do all those things to her, it must be you! I'm just her neighbor!" He reasoned out. Kuroko walked away slowly. "Tell her to wait 'till I get stronger. Do it for me…" Kuroko whispered. "Sixth, tell her to always believe in me… and not to lose sight of me…"_

* * *

Yelena couldn't stop all her tears from falling down. "I tried." Kagami whispered. Yelena suddenly ran past him and started yelling at the streets, not caring about what their other neighbors would feel. "YOU DON'T HAVE TO GET STRONGER TO PROTECT ME! YOU'RE FINE JUST BEING YOURSELF! I TOLD YOU THAT I'D PROTECT YOU!" Her broken voice was trying its best to scream out all her feelings. "I'LL COME BACK SOON! I'll come back from Russia! The first person I'll look for is you! Please remember that, Ko-chan…"

* * *

Kuroko was staring outside the window. Beneath the moonlight, one could see that his face was wet with silent tears. He wasn't sobbing, but he was definitely aware that his tears were already streaming down his face. He still had that blank expression, but that didn't change the fact that he was crying. He looked up at the moon and thoughts about how its light only came from the sun came into his mind. It felt like Yelena was his sun and he was the moon. Her light reflected upon him, making him visible to others. To him, that wasn't really a disadvantage. He's just glad that people could see the both of them in the same sky. "The moon and sun can't be together." He mumbled. "But… even a solar eclipse is possible, making the shadow of the moon stronger…" He smiled while wiping off his tears away. "My shadow is stronger… thank you…"

"I love you, Rena."


	35. Chapter 35 It Will Always Be You

_Crash._

Another plate got broken. Gale stared at it, unable to see it clearly. "… I can't… see anything…" She mumbled. Her head was starting to heart and she thought that it may be because of her car accident. After all, she didn't finish therapy. She looked back, watching Kise sleep peacefully on the hospital bed. "Thank goodness, he didn't wake up…" She let out a sigh in relief. Her head has been hurting these past few days that she is unable to do anything properly anymore. She already broke three hospital plates trying to serve Kise some food. Her fingers were already bleeding as she picked up the broken pieces. She carefully threw all the shards in the rubbish bin. Her eyesight was getting really blurry and her head ached terribly. She picked up the bandages on the table and tended to her own hand.

"Hanacchi?" She jumped in surprise, turning to Kise with wide eyes. "Good evening." She subtly greeted hiding her hands. She knew that he would just get worried and start panicking again even though all he needed to worry about was his condition. He sat upright. His head was still bandaged and he was smiling at her, obviously ignorant about her current state. She had no intention of letting anyone know, anyway. If she told Lilith or Lia, they _will_ tell Kise. Also, she thought that maybe it's just one of the times when her head randomly starts to ache due to the trauma of the car accident. "Ah, are you preparing dinner for me? Thank you, Hanacchi." He looked so good now. It didn't seem like he was hurt anywhere. Just seeing Gale was enough for him.

Gale nodded and smiled sheepishly back at him. "You seem so hap—" Her words were suddenly cut off when she suddenly felt her knees go numb. Her spinal column started to go numb and she suddenly fell to her knees. Her eyes widened at the unusual back pain and head pain. "H-Hanacchi?" Kise stood up from the bed, ignoring his wounds and his own recovery. He ran to her and held her shoulders. Gale's eyes were already close and she was screaming in pain. "M-my head!" She was yelling so loudly that the nurses suddenly went in the room and hurriedly dashed toward them. "Sir, please get back on the bed. You are not yet fully recovered." One of the nurses asked Kise. "NO! I won't rest until I'm sure that she'll be okay!" Kise insisted on staying with her. He didn't care about what happened to him anymore. All he wanted to take care of was her…

The doctor gently put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll make sure she's okay. She wouldn't like it if you stress yourself over her." He calmed Kise down. Kise was guided back to his bed by the other nurses but he still firmly held Gale's hand. As the other nurses place Gale on the stretcher and led her away, their hands slowly separated from each other. Kise watched them disappear from the door with complete pain painted on his face.

* * *

_Gale was staring at t__he stoplight. She was going to cross the street when a hand grabbed her arm. She looked back at Kise and frowned. "I know how to cross a street." She told him coldly. Kise tilted his head and grinned at her innocently. "You don't really have to be shy. If you don't know how to do anything, you can just ask me for help." He told her. Gale just hissed before walking away with Kise tailing behind her. When did he start walking her home, anyway? She had no idea where this stupid stalker came from. As they crossed the street, Kise was still smiling as if he actually enjoyed his time with her._

"_You don't really look like you care about your life, you know. At least try to worry more about yourself." He suddenly told her with a disheartened look on his face. Gale clutched the strap of her bag tightly. She bowed her head down and looked at the stony path she was walking on. "It's no use. All people will die soon, anyway. I'm prone to sickness and I'm prone to accidents, so yeah. I'll die soon." At the sound of her words, Kise suddenly hugged her from behind. She gasped at the sudden contact. _

_They stood there in silence. "Don't you ever say things like that! No matter what… you'll always be happy. Even if you can't make yourself happy, I'll be right here to hold your hand. There are times when you'll be alone… but I'll still come and find you so even if you're alone, you must live… and survive." He whispered in her ear. Gale chuckled lightly and turned around so she could face him. "There's nothing left to live for, Ryouta."_

* * *

Ignoring the doctor's advice, Kise ran into the room where Gale was confined. He found her on the bed with a troubled look on her face. She turned her head to look at him and smiled. He was panting heavily due to panicking and running around frantically. He bit his lip and ran to her, hugging her tightly. "You were right, Ryouta." She comforted him, still smiling. She gently rubbed his back and closed her eyes. "There are still things worth living for." She told him. "But I've realized it too late, Ryouta. You've done so much for me. If it weren't for you, I would be all alone. Rena's going back to Russia at the worst possible time in my life. Lia and Lilith have their own problems to solve. I would have been alone… if it weren't for you." She continued to whisper. Kise didn't know why she was saying all these so suddenly. He felt tears well up in his eyes at her painful words.

"I thought I would live my whole life hating you. I thought we could have just played a game where none of us could win, but then, it was just a fake game. You win, Ryouta. I should live on… _even if I'm slowly losing my memory because of the late reaction of my brain trauma_, I will live on…"

Kise let go of her and he stared at her with wide eyes, crying. "I'll forget you… it scares me." She honestly told him as she looked down at her hands. "I guess it's really too late to regret now…" Her expression changed from gladness to pain at the same time.

He suddenly laughed at her. Gale felt a bit offended, wondering if he was making fun of her. "It's the first time you actually admitted to me that you're scared." He pointed out. "You'll remember. You'll remember every single time you tried to kill me with your bare hands. You'll remember the day we met when you embarrassed me because of the rope. You'll remember how you used to hate my presence and how you told me that you weren't a speck of dust in my collection of diamonds and you'll realize that _you_ are actually my heart and not my diamond. You'll remember how I used to walk you home every day. You'll remember those headlocks I put you in and even all the times you tried to push me away even though you knew that I'd still end up coming back to you. You'll remember the day you first called me 'Ryouta' and how I used to save you from troublesome situations… you'll remember your hero."

Gale's frown turned into a gentle smile as she closed her eyes. All the memories were still with her, thankfully. She was afraid to fall asleep for fear that she would forget everything once she wakes up. "I can't even remember the day I met Rena… it's slowly fading away. How could I not forget about you if I'm starting to forget one of my closest friends?" She was still thinking about how she was slowly losing sight of everything. Kise patted her head gently and smiled sweetly. He lay her head down on the pillow.

"Don't be afraid to fall asleep. You may not remember, but you will dream about me every night. You'll continue to dream about me until you finally remember me. And every day, I'll give you a new memory to put in our short story. I'll visit you every day in this hospital during your therapy and I'll tell you all about that twitching black ribbon at the back of your head which reminded me of cat ears. I'll tell you about how you were so depressed back then because of your grades. I'll fall in love with you more each day. And you'll start to feel me. You're not dense, Gale. You can feel, right? I will always fall in love with you no matter how many times you lose your memory." Kise put his hand on her forehead as she slowly drifted off to her dreams. "Hey… Ryouta… the doctor told me that once I lose my memory because of the side-effects of this therapy, I'll be able to make new ones…" She whispered.

"It can also result to comatose…" She sighed. "You'll dream about me. About us. That dream would be really happy and in that dream, I'll be saying the same things to you as I'm saying right now… you'll wake up after a long sleep, remembering nothing but that dream. And in the end… you'll remember me." He comforted her. He leaned in to kiss her forehead as she smiled gently at his touch. "And even if you would still be the same numb Gale _who can't feel_, I won't give up on you." He assured her.

Gale let out a sigh of relief and she let herself be caught up in her deep sleep. She wasn't worried anymore. She knew that no matter what happens, he'll always make her remember. She felt the warmth in her heart; it felt gentle and endearing. A pure unselfish love.

"Ryouta… I_ feel _your heart…"

* * *

One eye opened first before the other. There was a white ceiling just right above. She sat upright and clutched her head, wondering about where she was. She could have sworn she heard someone calling her. Suddenly the door opened, revealing a man wearing a lab coat. He had eyeglasses and was smiling at her nicely. She just stared at him, having no idea about who he was. "I see. You did wake up. Well, that concludes it. Just in case you're confused, you are in a hospital, dear." He told her. She just continued staring at him.

She watched him walk around the room. "… You've slept for a whole month." He told her. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung agape at his words. She was unable to speak, but she could hear someone's voice inside her mind. Whose voice was that?

He chuckled and stretched his arms. "You'll be okay now." He said before turning to leave the room. "Umm… wait!" She called out to him. He looked back at her, waiting for her to talk. "… My name… is it 'Hanacchi'?" She asked him. The man's eyes widened and he looked at her in shock. "… Technically, no. It's Galanthus Vanille Seriya. Where did you…" His voice trailed off.

Galanthus shrugged her shoulders. "I thought I heard someone… calling me by that name… and laughing so happily…"

* * *

"_Hanacchi… I'm your Ryouta… remember?"_


	36. Chapter 36 Someday

He really missed her. Who says he didn't regret anything? But it's for the best, anyway.

Akashi slumped in his seat and let out a sigh. He was playing shogi by himself in a dark room. The heartbreaking part is that he could imagine Lia in front of him, biting her lip while trying to think of a move to beat him. That was his imagination. That was it. He moved one of the shogi pieces to the left, until he suddenly slammed his hands on the table and flipped over the board. He looked at the pieces and he could have sworn he saw Lia picking up the pieces one-by-one like what she did before…

He clutched his head in pain and sat on the floor. "I will endure this." He commanded himself. He had no idea where such pain came from anyway. Why doesn't he know? He's the great Akashi; the captain of the Generation of Miracles. He stood up and walked past the living room, not minding his solitude inside the villa. Summer is over. It's already the Winter Cup. Why does she keep on popping from out of nowhere? He walked towards his room and sat on the chair right in front of a desk. There was nothing on the desk but a folder. He looked at the folder and opened it.

Lia's drawing of him was inside – the one he picked up in the auditorium – and right beside the drawing was _his_ drawing of _Lia_. He tried to prevent himself from smiling at the lovely sketches, but he failed. "It's no use trying to pretend." He mumbled to himself. He stood up and grabbed a pen and paper and wrote something in it.

Suddenly, the door to his room burst open. He turned his head and saw _her_. She was panting heavily and she looked distressed. "Hey… my sister told me everything." She stomped towards him confidently. He blinked innocently, as he was actually expecting for this to happen. "I know." He told her calmly. Lia suddenly started rubbing her eyes due to the tears. "You left me in mid-air just because you're _scared_ of yourself?" She said in the midst of her sobs. Akashi stood up and just watched her. He did not dare say anything. What would he tell her?

If he told her about how many times she comes into his mind, she wouldn't stay away. If he told her that he was scared of hurting her, he wouldn't stay away. If he told her about how he became too attached to her in just a short amount of time, she wouldn't stay away. If he told her he loved her, she wouldn't stay away. If she wouldn't stay away… he'll hurt her. He just kept an emotionless, silent look on his face for fear that if he showed emotion; she would keep on haunting him forever.

He couldn't even hear her anymore. He was too busy thinking of what to tell her, thinking that if he said something wrong, then he would not be the same Akashi who was never wrong. If he was going to be wrong, then she wouldn't try to find him anymore. If she wouldn't find him or look up to him or try to beat him anymore… he wouldn't have his Lia back. He's scared of coming close to her and burning her from the insides of her heart, but he was also scared of losing her. "Hey! Look at me when I'm talking!" Lia touched his face with both of her cold hands and turned his head to look at her. Akashi winced at the sudden contact. He was subtle about it, though.

She was still saying something, but Akashi's memories were slowly coming back to him. He couldn't pay attention. He was too distracted to even listen to the painful present when the past was so much better.

"_My name is Lia Chavier Xelestine. I came from France. I am 150 centimeters tall. My eyes are central heterochromatic. My inner irises are gold and my outer ones are midnight blue. Specifically, midnight blue. My hobbies are drawing, playing the piano, singing random songs in the shower, cutting my own hair, and turning hamsters into mermaids."_

His name is Akashi Seijuro. He was born in Japan. His eyes are also heterochromatic. The first time he saw Lia, he knew that she would make a drastic change in his life.

"_I won't bring you down, but… I will defeat you."_

She doesn't need to. He was already defeated by her smile. It was as easy as that. Akashi will never dare say that out loud. He knew that he would just be lying especially when his 'other self' hurts her. She would hate him…

"_I'll just have to make myself equal to you."_

Those were her words back in the auditorium. He didn't need to hear that. He already knew. She was already equal to his heart. There was nothing else she needed to do. "Don't say anything anymore, Lia." He suddenly snapped. Lia suddenly stopped sobbing and calling his name. Her eyes widened and she looked horrified. Akashi held her shoulders tightly. "This is… an order, Lia." He stuttered, but tried not to make it noticeable. He bowed down his head and sighed quietly.

Lia hugged his neck. His eyes widened at her movements. "Don't be afraid... no matter who you are, I'll love you. I'll be here for you so calm down." She whispered. "I won your heart. You said so! Your heart's right here, so don't ever feel so alone anymore…" She smiled and lay her head on his shoulder. Akashi felt his tears coming out of his eyes. Was he… _crying_? Why did he cry? It blew off his cover. How was he going to protect Lia from himself now? Protecting Lia… _from himself._

"I am in no position to tell you the same." He coldly said, although his voice faltered. "Give up on me…" He suddenly pushed her away and glared down at her. Lia felt her skin crawl at his cold glare. He stormed out of the room and left her there, speechless. She stood up weakly and started crying her heart out. She sat down on his chair, still crying until she saw what was on the desk. This was her drawing, right? Beside it was… Akashi's drawing? This is… _her_, right?

She blushed at the sight of the two portraits. Beside it was a note. She picked it up and read it, making her heart beat faster than usual. Her hand covered her mouth, trying to prevent herself from bawling out loud. She couldn't say anything and was unable to process what she had just seen. She closed her eyes, ignoring the crack in her voice and spoke loudly.

"I do."

* * *

Akashi had his back on the door. It appears that he hasn't left yet and was hesitating to go back in. He sighed and wiped his wet face, trying to make himself look presentable before meeting with his team mates downstairs. He was about to walk away, when he remembered that he wrote something in a piece of paper back in the room. He looked back at the door.

Deciding that it won't change anything, he just walked away silently. "Will she?" He mumbled.

* * *

Lia read it over and over again, thinking that it must be a dream.

_Don't hate me… I'm doing this to protect you but when I come back at the right time and at the right place…_

_I'll keep my promise. Not now… but someday. In the meantime, don't come near me. Just wait for me. Will you marry me, by then?_


	37. Chapter 37 Kill Yourself

Hyuuga was on his way to the stadium where the Winter Cup will be held. He decided to stop by somewhere, wondering about a certain girl. He knocked on the door and waited for an answer. Suddenly, the door opened, hitting him on the face. He fell backward and clutched his nose in pain. "Hyuuga-darling! What brings you here?" The lovely blonde girl greeted rather childishly. Hyuuga stood up and growled. "You could have killed someone!" He yelled at her. "How would I know that it was you?" Lilith shouted back, glaring at him. They stared into each other's eyes for fifteen minutes before Hyuuga gave in. He rubbed the back of his head and looked away, blushing. Lilith sighed in return. "So… good luck." She told him.

Hyuuga held out a single rose in front of her, still looking away. "… Take it." He told her. Lilith stared at the rose for a while and realized that it's a yellowish white – much like her pale blonde hair. She giggled and took it with both of her hands. Hyuuga felt his heart pound against his chest as her fingers brushed against his hand so softly. He bowed down and started walking away. "… When I told you that I'm not capable of loving anyone, I meant it." Lilith suddenly said. He stopped in his tracks, remembering the time when she came to see him.

* * *

"_Hyuuga-darling!"_

_Hyuuga looked behind him to see his worst nightmare. He doesn't really see her that way anymore. "I came to see you!" Lilith was meters away from him, but not one of them dared to come near. He had a scowl in his face and he was about to ask if she was there to try to kill him again but she spoke up first. "I… I am not capable of loving anyone! But I… broke that bottle of memories. I don't know why it has to be you of all people, but if it's you, I'm ready to start again!" _

_He gawked at her, wondering what has gotten into her. "You drunk?" He asked. Lilith shook her head and stomped towards him. She grabbed him by the collar viciously. "Listen to me! Someday! Someday you'll give me a rose! A rose to represent my oath today! I'm so sorry for being so vicious to you all the time and for venting out all my frustrations to you but please bear with me!" She then gave him a peck on the cheek and dropped him on the ground. She ran away._

* * *

Hyuuga looked back at her with wide eyes. She was giggling girlishly and it made him want to hit her head with a basketball. "Thank you, Junpei." She said, finally speaking his first name. Hyuuga was surprised at the sudden greeting and he felt a huge lump in his throat that he was unable to let out. He turned away quickly and frowned. "Let me defeat that apologetic mushroom first before calling me by my first name." He told her while walking away. "Besides… it'll be a shame if the guy you are willing to open your heart to would lose to your 'ex-boyfriend'."

Lilith watched him walk away while sniffing the rose's sweet scent. "He won't lose that easily. But good luck, then. Sakurai and Hyuuga."

* * *

She heard the door open and she immediately looked up to see who entered. Two girls were standing in front of her and smiling warmly. "Good morning, Gale." The one with pale blonde hair greeted as she went near the young girl on the hospital bed and gave her a pat on the head. "How are you feeling?" The smallest one who had white hair and lovely hypnotizing eyes went near to her next. She looked like a really ice-cold person, but Gale felt her warmth somehow. Gale blinked at them and tilted her head. She didn't know who they were, but she kind of felt that she already heard those voices before. Lilith laughed sheepishly. "I see. So you really don't remember." She told her. "My name is Lilith. I'm your Big Sis Lilith!" She introduced herself enthusiastically. Gale nodded and turned to Lia.

Lia gulped as soon as Gale looked at her with her soulful blue eyes. It felt like the time when they first met. "I'm Lia! Nice to meet you again, Gale." She bowed down cheerfully, expecting for Gale to react. To her delight, Gale smiled at her. "My name is… uhh…" Gale stuttered. "Gala—Ga_ran_—I mean, Garanthu—Galanthus." She had trouble pronouncing her name, unable to believe that she had such a difficult name.

Suddenly, the door burst open again. "I'm sorry! I just came back from Russia this morning and—" A brunette girl was surprised to see her friends already in the room. She thought it was only Gale, then she remembered that Gale had no idea who she was anymore. Thank Lia for letting her know while she was in Russia. She stepped in shyly and held out a black ribbon between her two hands. "H-Hello…" she greeted Gale. It was really awkward for her, knowing that her closest friend doesn't remember who she was anymore. She walked slowly toward the hospital bed and handed Gale the black ribbon. "You used to put a ribbon at the back of your head. Didn't a guy called Kise tell you?" the brunette asked. Gale just stared at the ribbon without saying anything.

"My name is… Yelena." Yelena introduced herself. Gale nodded at her. "… Who's Kise?" She asked. The three girls in front of her froze in their places. They looked at one another with troubled faces. "Your Ryouta, Gale." Lia was the first to answer. Gale felt a painful jolt of electricity run through her mind. She opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't say anything. "… Anyways, it's the Winter Cup. And just in case, Gale also forgot about what it is, it is a national basketball tournament where high school basketball teams compete against each other. That's where your Ryouta will play, Gale." Lilith explained with a grin on her face. Yelena suddenly remembered the promise she made with Kuroko. She bit her lip and prevented herself from sobbing.

"About Ko-chan… would he want to see me again?" She asked her friends. Gale had no idea what they were saying anymore. She just listened on in their conversation, trying to make herself remember. "Of course, he will… you're the person he loves the most." Lilith assured her. Lia suddenly laughed. "You have a promise with Hyuuga, too, right?" She asked her elder sister. Lilith hit her on the head and started screaming gibberish at her while blushing terribly. Gale widened her eyes at the violence in front of her, wondering if she was that violent before. Lia clutched her head, still laughing. "It's alright… Akashi's the same." She told them.

Yelena and Lilith looked at each other and covered their mouths to prevent their boisterous laughter. "A promise of protection." Yelena told them and nodded to herself. Lilith sighed and looked at Gale, who was just watching curiously. "Ours is a promise of a new beginning." She closed her eyes. Lia's lips curved upward as she reminisced about last summer. It was the most magical. "A promise of forever." Lia clutched her new necklace. It was a ring necklace and it was a "farewell for now" gift from her beloved.

They all looked at Gale, feeling a bit sad that she doesn't remember anything. Gale tilted her head at them, although she somehow found their words really familiar. What was she missing, anyway? She looked at the black ribbon on her hands blankly. "… I don't remember…" She told them.

"_No matter what… you'll always be happy. Even if you can't make yourself happy, I'll be right here to hold your hand."_

She suddenly looked at them again with wide eyes. "A promise… of… happiness… from whom?" She touched her forehead, wondering where that voice came from. The three girls' eyes widened. "…Kise is amazing. He really can make her remember." Lilith commented. "Well… for now…" Yelena suggested. "Let's start something new again."

They all nodded in agreement. Lilith put her arms around both Yelena and Lia and laughed loudly. Gale felt that she was quickly adjusting to them. "… After all, we now know what a pure unselfish love is, although we were almost close to **killing ourselves** just to find its meaning…"


End file.
